Gold is something that many people are taking an interest in this year, as it’s value increasing drastically day by day. There are rich gold deposits throughout the world, and people have been mining this precious metal for thousands of years. If you ever wondered where the most productive mines are in the world, below are a list of the mines that have the largest deposits and are the most productive.
South Deep Gold Mine – South Africa
The mine with the largest deposits in the world that are still to be mined is South Deep, which is about 45 km southwest of Johannesburg. Although the mine has the largest gold reserves, it is not the deepest mine as it is ranked seventh in the world with a depth of 2,998 metres. There are an estimated 32.8 million ounces left in this mine as of 2018, which means there is still plenty to take out the ground for many years to come.
Grasberg Gold Mine – Indonesia
Grasberg Gold Mine produces more gold than South Deep, but its reserves are not as significant, so it only makes it to number two on the list. The mine is an open-pit one, and it first opened in 1990. It was expected for the mine to close by 2019, but they still produced 2.69 million ounces in 2018, so its lifespan has been extended till at least 2022. There is an excellent chance that if you purchase your gold bullion from City Gold Bullion in Brisbane, the gold may have come from this mine in Indonesia.
Olimpiada Gold Mine – Russia
The Olimpiada gold mine is in Siberia, eastern Russia, and the estimated reserves of this mine are at 26 million ounces as of 2018. It is also an open-pit mine which can process up to 13 million tonnes of ore per year. The mine was first opened in 1996, and as of 2018, it produced 1.3 million ounces of gold.
Lihir Gold Mine – Papua New Guinea
The Lihir gold mine in Papua New Guinea is the fourth largest deposit on the planet, and the mine has been producing gold since 1997. As of 2018, there was an estimated reserve of 24 million ounces of gold, and they are expecting to mine 1 million ounces per a year from 2020 onwards.
Norte Abierto – Chile
The fifth largest gold deposit in the world is the Norte Abierto mine which is in the Atacama region of Chile. It is one of the newest mines that was opened in 2017 as part of a joint project between Newmont Goldcorp and Barrick Gold, and as of 2018 the reserves are estimated to be 23.2 million ounces of gold.
These are the top five gold mines around the world with the largest deposits and reserves still left to mine. There are many more mines around the world than these, and there are also lots of small independent gold mines. You can get a full list of the most productive and most significant gold reserves in the world through a quick Google search, which may make you think twice about where your gold comes from the next time you purchase some.
