[6] Its size and position relative to Southern Africa today are indicated in the diagram on the left. The diamonds have been studied by researchers and reveal secrets of how the Earth worked more than 3.5 billion years ago. conurbation that developed along the range, removal of a several kilometres thick layer of deposits from the surface of the Southern African Plateau, "Three Historic Johannesburg Passes | The Heritage Portal", http://www.goldsheetlinks.com/production.htm, Behind gold's glitter, torn lands and pointed questions, "Outcrop of Main Reef Group of Conglomerates Langlaagte Johannesburg-9/2/228/0196", Relationships between the Vredefort structure and the Witwatersrand basin within the tectonic framework of the Kaapvaal craton as interpreted from regional gravity and aeromagnetic data, List of fossiliferous stratigraphic units in South Africa, Tectonic evolution of the Barberton greenstone belt, Department of Mineral Resources (South Africa), Department of Mineral Resources and Energy, Archean life in the Barberton Greenstone Belt, Geological Commission of the Cape of Good Hope, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Witwatersrand&oldid=996396357#Witwatersrand_Basin, Short description is different from Wikidata, Use South African English from February 2017, All Wikipedia articles written in South African English, Pages using infobox mountain with multiple parameters, Articles with unsourced statements from July 2020, Articles with unsourced statements from February 2018, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Cammack, Diana (1990) "The Rand at War: the Witwatersrand and the Anglo-Boer war 1899–1902, This page was last edited on 26 December 2020, at 10:04. The area has also featured dedicated botanical gardens to help preserve regions of the land. In retaliation, the uitlanders and the British mining interests joined forces to overthrow the Boer government. This massive goldfield is 100 kilometers (60 miles) long and 3.6 kilometers (12,000 feet) deep in certain places. Some of these gold bearing fan deltas are now at depths of 4 km below the surface. The “West Rand Group” and “Central Rand Group” of rocks together form the “Witwatersrand Supergroup”, the full horizontal extent of which is termed the Witwatersrand Basin.[2][6][1]. A final event that had a major impact on the geology of the Witwatersrand Basin and its exposure in the Johannesburg region, was a massive meteor impact 110 km to the south-west of Johannesburg 2020 million years ago. The 200-by-350-km (124-by-217-mile) Witwatersrand Basin contains an 11-km- (7-mile-) thick sequence of lavas and sediments that are 3 billion years old. It is also the reason behind the South African currency gaining the moniker of “Rand” in 1961. Deposition of the predominantly siliciclastic basin fill began shortly after 2985 Ma in a shallow marine environment, maybe along a passive margin to an old continent to the north(west), and under generally cool climatic conditions (West Rand Group). In addition to the founding of Johannesburg, the Witwatersrand Gold Rush was a major factor leading to the, The Boer farmers denied these “uitlanders” voting rights and mounted heavy taxes on the gold industry. Discovery of the Witwatersrand … To learn even more about topics related to precious metals, head over to More Precious Metal Details. Silver, uranium, and iridium are recovered as gold-refining by-products. [2][6] A meteor 10–15 km across created a 300 km diameter crater, distorting all the rock strata within that circle. W.H. David Lewis-Williams, Professor emeritus of Cognitive Archaeology at the University of the Witwatersrand; specialist in Upper-Palaeolithic and Bushmen rock art; founder of the Rock Art Research Institute at the University of the Witwatersrand Why Do Labs Not Agree On Sapphire Gradings? [2] Johannesburg is just within the outer edge of this impact crater. Mon - Fri: 10:30am - 6:00pm ET The abundance of this gold is without a natural equal anywhere else in the world. [2] The basin straddles the old provinces of Transvaal and the Orange Free State, and consists of a 5000–7000 m thick layer of Archean, mainly sedimentary rocks laid down over a period of about 260 million years, starting about 3000 million years ago. The Witwatersrand Gold Rush initiated South Africa’s domination of world gold production. The gold was in its free elemental form. University of the Witwatersrand Application Form. The war continued for years through, is part of the “golden arc,” an ancient inland lake containing rich deposits of, (60 miles) long and 3.6 kilometers (12,000 feet) deep in certain places. The gold fields of the Witwatersrand Basin in South Africa are, by a landslide, the largest single gold producing district in the world. Famous for experiments in probability performed while interned (in Denmark) during the second world war. Tambo International Airport) in the east, through Johannesburg and Roodepoort, to Krugersdorp in the west (see the diagram at left below).[2]. The Witwatersrand Rifles Regiment ceased to exist when it was renamed Bambathat Rifles in August 2019. It is clear that for the next 200 million years the flood plain was repeatedly inundated, sometimes eroded, and sediments re-deposited. Freeman and Company, New York. Shafts go down some 3,900 meters b… [2], Ridge of erosion resistant rock in South Africa, Consequences of mining the ancient Witwatersrand rocks. We offer a vast selection of blue sapphires, pink sapphires, yellow sapphires, white sapphires and other unique natural sapphires. Most of the basin is deeply buried under younger rocks, but outcrops occur in Gauteng, the Free State, as well as in some of the surrounding Provinces. Like the diamond discoveries before, the gold rush caused thousands of foreign expatriates to prospect and mine the region. The gold bearing meteorite events occurred millions of years after the segregation of the earth's core. [13] The conglomerate was quickly traced east and westward for a total continuous distance of 50 km (31 mi) to define what became known as the “Central Rand Gold Field”. Acid mine drainage, as the phenomenon is called, has become a major ecological problem, because it dissolves many of the heavy elements, such as the uranium, cadmium, lead, zinc, copper, arsenic and mercury found in the mine dumps, facilitating their passage into surface water and ground water. [1] This east-west-running scarp can be traced with only one short gap, from Bedfordview (about 10 km [6 mi] west of O.R. The area of the craton on top of which Johannesburg is now situated, became a vast riverine plain, which extended along the entire northern and western shoreline of the shrunken sea, in an arc extending from Evander in the east, through Johannesburg, Carletonville and then southwards to Klerksdorp and Welkom in the south-west. MessageToEagle.com – About 80 years ago, three green diamonds, were extracted from the 3 billion-year-old Witwatersrand Supergroup, an ancient rock formation that is host to the famous Johannesburg gold mines in South Africa. It is more commonly known as Wits University or Wits (/vəts/ or /vɪts/). Sun: 10:00am - 6:00pm ET. p. 81-83. The result was a 2500 m thick layer of rock that is termed the “Central Rand Group”, which together with the “West Rand Group”, forms the “Witwatersrand Supergroup”. Sun: 10:00am - 6:00pm ET, Hours Available The war continued for years through guerrilla warfare until heightened British actions put them at bay. The institution moved to Johannesburg in 1904 and acquired full university status in 1922. The Witwatersrand plateau consists of a 5000- to 7000-metre-thick layer of mainly sedimentary rocks laid down over a period of about 260 million years, starting approximately 2970 million years ago. The Natural Sapphire Company Videos on YouTube | It is estimated the 40% of all of the gold ever mined has come out of the Basin. Here the gold is associated with other minerals, especially iron pyrite and uraninite, as well as carbon rich materials such as kerogen, or bitumen, which occurs in small balls less than 1 mm (0.04 in) in size, called “flyspeck carbon”, or as continuous layers about 10–20 mm (0.4–0.8 in) thick. [2] From there on they are almost everywhere, with very few exceptions (see below), covered by younger rocks. Although legends of a South African. The Witwatersrand plateau consists of a 5000-to-7000-metre-thick (3.1–4.3 mi) layer of mainly sedimentary rocks laid down over a period of about 260 million years, starting approximately 2.97 billion years ago. [1] The conglomerate was quickly traced east and westward for a total continuous distance of 50 km to define what became known as the “Central Rand Gold Field”. Although gold had been discovered in various locations in South Africa, such as Barberton and Pilgrim's Rest, as well as at several sites near the Witwatersrand, these were alluvial concentrates in contemporary rivers, or in quartz veins, in the form that gold had always been found elsewhere on earth. A number of picturesque Johannesburg Suburbs, including Observatory, Linksfield Ridge and Upper Houghton are located on the ridge, overlooking the northern parts of Johannesburg. The Witwatersrand plateau forms a continental divide, with the run-off to the north draining into the Indian Ocean via the Crocodile and Limpopo rivers, while the run-off to the south drains via the Vaal into the Orange River and ultimately into the Atlantic Ocean.[2][4][5]. [2] This heralded the historic Witwatersrand Gold Rush. Thus, when mine waste comes into contact with oxygenated rainwater, sulfuric acid is released into the ground water. Sat: 1:00pm - 4:00pm ET At night these reactions stopped. As gold fever crested, the steady influx of foreigners was unsettling to Boer farmers who were already established in the region. His brother Thomas was the first chairman. The continued mining of gold has firmly placed Johannesburg as the economical powerhouse of South Africa. The Witwatersrand Supergroup strata which reach the surface in Johannesburg dip downwards to the south at an angle of about 30°. The University of the Witwatersrand colloquially known as Wits University is internationally recognized for its excellent research, high academic standards, and its commitment to social justice in Africa and beyond. Latest News All News Towards herd immunity from Covid-19: Costing a vaccine strategy for South Africa 7 January 2021 Mining's year ahead will demand deep innovation 6 January 2021 Building Africa's AI initiative 6 January 2021 How sub-Saharan Africa can rethink its approach to agriculture 5 January 2021 The gold bearing rocks are limited to 6 sites where Archean rivers from the north and west formed fan deltas, with many braided channels, before flowing into the “Witwatersrand Sea” to the south, where the earlier sediments that form the older rocks of the Witwatersrand Supergroup had been deposited. Wits was ranked as the top university in South Africa in the Center for World University Rankings (CWUR) in 2016. (1982). It has since been established that the rocks that make up the Witwatersrand Ridge dip downwards and southwards to form the largely underground “Witwatersrand Basin” which covers an elliptical area with a 300 km long major axis from Evander in the north-east to Theunissen in the south-west, and 150 km wide stretching from Steynsrus in the south-east to Coligny in the north-west,[1] with a small subsidiary basin at Kinross. where these rocks are exposed at the surface) in the immediate vicinity of the Vredefort Dome, virtually all the other outcrops occur in an arc approximately 80–120 km from the centre of the impact crater, to the west, north-west, north and north-east. Harrison is believed to have sold his claim for less than £10 before leaving the area, and he was never heard from again. The Natural Sapphire Company Reviews on, The Witwatersrand Gold Rush initiated South Africa’s domination of world gold production. This protected it from erosion later on; but, possibly more importantly, bringing it to the surface close to the crater rim, near Johannesburg. [2][6][12], Uplifting of the north of the Kaapvaal Craton, in addition to orogenesis (mountain formation), towards the end of the deposition of the “West Rand Group” of sediments caused the Witwatersrand sea to retreat. 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Company Reviews on TrustPilot. The huge deposits of gold in this region were the prime factor responsible for the growth and development of the city of Johannesburg, and also greatly aided the economy of South Africa as a whole for decades. How Do You Best Establish the Value of a Sapphire? Although many of the older mines, around Johannesburg, are now nearly exhausted, the Witwatersrand Basin still produces most of South Africa's gold and much of the total world output. [1][6] The gold-bearing conglomerates occur chiefly in the upper, younger layers of the Witwatersrand Supergroup of rocks, on the southern side of the Witwatersrand plateau. Geological map of South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland (1970). The first phase, lasting 60 million years, consisted of sedimentary deposits in a shallow sea, conveniently named the “Witwatersrand Sea”. Image courtesy of Galen R. Frysinger. Not all the conglomerates contain gold, and of those that do (known as “reefs” by the miners), the gold is not uniformly distributed throughout the layer, but tends to occur in streaks, where the pebbles that make up the conglomerate are larger than elsewhere. Our sapphires are not synthetic, heated to extreme temperatures, diffused, irradiated, glass filled or oiled. Production does not come easy though. In 1887 Cecil John Rhodes registered “The Gold Fields of South Africa” in London, South Africa's first mining house, with a capital of £250000. The meteor impact, however, lowered the Witwatersrand basin inside the crater. The University of Witwatersrand is a leading public university strategically established in the industrial and commercial heart of South Africa. The Witwatersrand plateau consists of a 5000-to-7000-metre-thick (3.1–4.3 mi) layer of mainly sedimentary rocks laid down over a period of about 260 million years, starting approximately 2.97 billion years ago. The extreme economic significance of this g… ’’What is Life?’’. We invite you to send us a message through our website at any time. Cyanobacteria grew in relative abundance in these mineral rich waters. Wits is known for its work in deep level mining, science, health sciences, accountancy, law, governance, and the humanities, amongst others. [2][6][12] The kerogen, or bitumen, that is found in association with the gold deposits almost certainly represents what remains of these Archean photosynthesizing micro-organisms.[6]. [6] The cause of these lava outpourings is a matter of speculation. Margulis, L., Sagan, D. (1995). It is the source of over 40% of the gold extracted from the Earth. [17] The park is on the busy Main Reef Road, immediately west of Nasrec Road. He is a recipient of many awards including the American Society of Haematology Global Capacity Building award (2019), the Publons Top 1% Cross-Field Reviewer Award (2019), the Wits Vice-chancellor Academic Citizenship Award (2018) and the Novo Nordisk Haemophilia Foundation International Haemophilia Community Award (2018). The larger Johannesburg Metropolitan Area is also known as the Witwatersrand (“Ridge of White Waters”). [6][12] Within 60 million years, up to 4500 m of sediment had accumulated on the granite base, to become the “West Rand Group” of rocks that contribute over 60% of the total thickness of the Witwatersrand Supergroup. The Witwatersrand Gold Rush was a gold rush in 1886 that led to the establishment of Johannesburg, South Africa. Although legends of a South African “El Dorado” existed among the natives of the area, it was not until 1886, when a poor Australian prospector named George Harrison staked the first claim, that the vast riches of the “Rand” were discovered. It is a range of hills in the Gauteng province South Africa that contains most of the worlds gold reserves. South Deep was known by the name Western Areas Gold Mine until 2000. Sri Lanka, Hours Available the past 150 million years, but especially during the last 20 million years. Mining has been taking place within the WBP … The Witwatersrand escarpment has immense geological significance, and its rock formations and rock composition yield valuable geological data to scientists. The rocks of the "Rand" or reef, as the Witwatersrand is sometimes known, are rich in uranium and gold. The University of the Witwatersrand (also known as WITS) comes with different categories of Application Forms 2021 for prospective students. What Is The Color Of a Padparadscha Sapphire? 79 Council Avenue This massive goldfield is 100 kilometers (60 miles) long and 3.6 kilometers (12,000 feet) deep in certain places. Thousands of exquisite, natural, untreated sapphires to choose from, matched perfectly with our beautiful, custom designed, hand crafted settings. . The outcrop in Gauteng forms the Witwatersrand ridge, from which the basin and its rocks derive their name. [6][15][16] Sulfuric acid also erodes concrete and cement structures, resulting in structural damage to buildings and bridges.[15][16]. The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, also known as Wits University is a leading, internationally-ranked, research-intensive University located in Johannesburg, South Africa, the economic heartland of Africa. It houses five faculties which comprise 34 schools. When George Harrison, probably accompanied by George Walker, found gold on the farm Langlaagte, 5 km (3 mi) west of what would become the city of Johannesburg, in an outcrop of conglomerate rocks, in February 1886, they assumed that this was alluvial gold in an old riverbed, that had been tilted as a result of earth movements. These rich gold bearing reefs stretch from 40 miles east of Johannesburg to 90 miles west and even further into the province of the Free State. Committed to academic and research excellence, Wits generates high level scarce skills for a globally competitive world, while addressing local social and economic development. #Witsie4Life Storytelling Series Wits Alumni Relations presents the #Witsie4Life storytelling series, shining a light on ordinary people doing extraordinary things. Once the news got out, prospectors from all over the world flocked to the area, laying the foundation of the present day metropolis of Johannesburg. The managed mineral reserve at South Deep as of December 2018 stood at 32.8Moz. We're here to help! The head frame of the Tau Tona Mine is the lone entrance to over 500 miles of tunnels. A view of the farm Langlaagte where gold was discovered in 1886. , the Witwatersrand Gold Rush had extensive social and political implications. pp. Today, the Witwatersrand reef is part of the “golden arc,” an ancient inland lake containing rich deposits of alluvial gold. The Witwatersrand (locally the Rand or, less commonly, the Reef) is a 56-kilometre-long (35 mi), north-facing scarp in South Africa. Tankard, A.J., Jackson, M.P.A, Erikson, K.A., Hobday, D.K., Hunter, D.R., Minter, W.E.L. Covered by younger rocks below the surface rich deposits of gold were mined here making... Ranked as the top University in South Africa that contains most of the “ West Rand Group ” with! Into the ground water major factor leading to the South eastern portion of this newly formed Witwatersrand... 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