A presentation on mining of gold in South African that includes the properties and uses of gold, common mining techniques in South Africa, extraction of gold and the advantages and

1. MINING OF GOLD IN SOUTH AFRICA
GRADE 11 PHYSICAL SCIENCES (THE LITHOSPHERE_MINING
AND MINERAL PROCESSING)

2. PROPERTIES AND USES OF GOLD
 It is shiny, and can therefore be
used for jewellery, ornaments and
coins.
 It is durable , i.e., it does not
corrode or rust easily.
 It is malleable, i.e., it can be bent
into different shapes
 It is ductile, i.e., it can stretched
into thin wire
 It is a good conductor of
electricity, and which is why it is
used in transistors, computer
circuits, etc.
 It is a highly reflective metal, i.e.,
it reflects heat effectively and can
therefore be used for spacesuits to
protect astronauts from heat.

3. HOW IS GOLD MINED?
COMMON GOLD MINING METHODS IN SOUTH AFRICA
INCLUDE:
 Panning
 Surface mining (Open pit mining)
 Underground mining (shaft mining)

4. PANNING
 Cheapest and manual technique used to separate
gold from other sediments.
How panning is done
 The sand and gravel which occur in river beds are
placed in a pan. Then water will be added into the
pan, which will then be shaken. Since gold has a
high density, it will sink to the bottom of the pan
and other materials which are not gold will float
and be discharged.

5. SURFACE MINING (OPEN PIT MINING)
 Mining technique of digging out rocks from
the surface, i.e., the top soil is moved to the
side and all the valuable rocks that are
broken down into smaller rocks, using
explosives and will therefore be transported
for further crushing and processing.

6. UNDERGROUND MINING (SHAFT MINING)
 Mining technique used when
gold deposits are very deep and
difficult to reach.
 It involves drilling a section
where there might be gold ore,
i.e., the main mine shaft is
built vertically downwards and
then the side tunnels are built
horizontally from the main
shaft so that the gold reef can
be reached.

7. WHAT HAPPENS AFTER GOLD IS MINED?
EXTRACTION OF GOLD
 The most common method of separating pure gold from its ore is known as
gold cyanidation.
GOLD CYANIDATION
 It is a chemical method of extracting pure gold from its ore.
 Gold ore is crushed until is a fine powder and will then be combined with a
solution of cyanide, which will leach the gold out of the ore.

8. ADVANTAGES OF GOLD MINING IN S.A
 The mining and extraction of gold requires labour, which implies job creation
for people in our country.
 The discovery of gold in South Africa has brought in many tourists in South
Africa, thus helping to improve the economy of our country.

9. DISADVANTAGES OF GOLD MINING IN S.A
 Mining of gold causes air and water pollution.
 Processing of gold requires large amounts of water and electricity.
 Some workers may suffer severe injuries or may even die, due to falling
rocks, toxic gases or accidents with the big machines in the mines.

10. SUMMARY
 The are three mining techniques, namely: Panning, surface mining and
underground mining.
 Gold extraction is done through a process called gold cyanidation.
 Gold is a valuable metal because of its properties and uses and therefore,
mining of gold has positive impacts in our economy, however it is undertaken
at the cost of our environment.

11. REFERENCES
Ahmed, O. M. (2017). Gold. Available from SlideShare at
https://www.slideshare.net/OmerMAhmed/gold-75050943 (Accessed 22 August 2021).
Lanser, J. (2013). Mining in SA. Available from SlideShare at
https://www.slideshare.net/jlanser/mining-in-sa (Accessed 22 August 2021).
MGSRefining. (2013). Gold Mining. Available from SlideShare at
https://www.slideshare.net/MGSRefining/gold-mining-26985214 (Accessed 22 August 2021).
Minookatap. (2015). Mining in South Africa. Available from SlideShare at
https://www.slideshare.net/minookatap/mining-in-south-africa (Accessed 22 August 2021)
Physics101. (2011). Gold Mining Process. Available from SlideShare at
https://www.slideshare.net/physics101/gold-mining-process (Accessed 22 August 2021).
Rasuly, M. E. (2015). Underground Mining. Available from SlideShare at
https://www.slideshare.net/MohammadEsaRasuly/underground-mining-54040632 (Accessed
22August 2021)
Tanta University. (2011). Mining Methods-Part I-Surface Mining. Available from SlideShare at
https://www.slideshare.net/hzharraz/atud-gold-mine-egypt-9998734 (Accessed 22 August
2021)

12. THE END!
THANK YOU!
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