The Biggest Gold discovery ever made - Earth's most productive gold district, how it was found

Summary

The video script details the extraordinary story of the Witwatersrand Gold Rush in South Africa, which began in the 1880s. It discusses how this region became the world's leading gold producer for over a century, with one-third of all gold ever found coming from this single district. The narrative explores the initial discovery by John Davis and the subsequent influx of fortune seekers from around the globe. It also delves into the challenges faced by miners as they delved deeper into the earth, the evolution of mining techniques, and the socio-economic impact on Johannesburg. The script further examines the geological theories behind the formation of the gold deposits, contrasting the hydrothermal and placer models, and highlights the importance of understanding geology for modern-day prospectors. The speaker, Chris Ralph, shares his expertise as a professional prospector and invites viewers to learn more through his book 'Fist Full of Gold' and website, Nevada Outback Gems, offering a wealth of knowledge to those interested in the field of gold prospecting.

Takeaways

• 🌟 The Witwatersrand Basin in South Africa is the largest gold-producing district in the world, producing over 2 billion ounces of gold since its discovery in the 1880s.
• 🏆 For over a century after its discovery, the Witwatersrand Basin led the world in annual gold production until 2006.
• 🔍 The discovery of gold in the Witwatersrand Basin was initially met with suspicion and fear by local government officials who worried about an influx of foreigners and the potential loss of power.
• 💡 The gold in the Witwatersrand Basin is found in a layer of conglomerate rock, which was not what early prospectors were looking for, illustrating the importance of not overlooking potential deposits.
• 📈 The growth of Johannesburg was directly linked to the gold rush, transforming it into the largest city in southern Africa within a decade of the discovery.
• 🛠️ Mining technology evolved in the Witwatersrand Basin, with the adoption of cyanide processing in the 1890s to increase gold recovery rates.
• 🏭 By the mid-1890s, a few powerful mining companies controlled the Witwatersrand Basin, focusing on controlling production and labor costs to increase profitability.
• 📉 Despite its vast reserves, the Witwatersrand Basin's production has decreased as the easier-to-reach, higher-grade ores have been depleted, and mining has become more challenging at greater depths.
• 🔬 There are two main theories about the formation of the Witwatersrand gold deposits: the hydrothermal theory and the placer (alluvial fan) theory, with geologists still debating which is correct.
• 📚 Chris Ralph's book 'Fist Full of Gold' distills his 45 years of prospecting experience and provides comprehensive knowledge on finding gold, emphasizing the importance of skill and knowledge in gold prospecting.
• ⛏️ Modern mining in the Witwatersrand Basin faces challenges such as extreme depths, high temperatures, and rock burst hazards, but continues to produce significant amounts of gold.

Q & A

What is considered the greatest gold discovery on Earth?

The Witwatersrand Gold Rush in South Africa is considered the greatest gold discovery on Earth, leading the world in annual gold production for over a century after its discovery in the 1880s.

What was the name of the first person who found gold in the Witwatersrand area?

The first person who found gold in the Witwatersrand area was an English miner named John Davis.

Why was the South African government initially reluctant to embrace the gold discovery made by John Davis?

The government, led by President Pretorius, feared that if word of the gold discovery spread, it would attract foreigners, potentially leading to a loss of Dutch control over the region and a disruption of the status quo.

What was the name of the man who discovered the main gold reef in the Witwatersrand?

An Englishman named George Harrison discovered the main gold reef in the Witwatersrand.

Why did it take so long for the true potential of the Witwatersrand gold deposits to be recognized?

It took time because the initial discoverers were looking for different types of gold deposits, such as quartz veins, and did not immediately recognize the significance of the conglomerate layer where the gold was actually concentrated.

What is the geographical feature of the Witwatersrand that contributed to its name?

The Witwatersrand is a range of low-lying hills in the Transvaal region, and the name means 'White Water Ridge' in Afrikaans, referring to the white water seen in the waterfalls in the area.

How did the discovery of gold in the Witwatersrand impact Johannesburg?

The discovery led to a massive influx of people, transforming Johannesburg from a small camp into the largest city in southern Africa within a decade, and it remains the most important metropolitan area in South Africa.

What was the role of Cecil Rhodes in the political landscape of Johannesburg in the late 19th century?

Cecil Rhodes, a wealthy businessman from the diamond mines, organized an attempt to take over the government in 1895 due to disagreements over taxation and policies affecting mine owners, although the attempt failed.

What are the two main theories regarding the formation of the Witwatersrand gold deposits?

The two main theories are the hydrothermal theory, which suggests that gold was deposited by hot mineralized fluids, and the placer theory, which proposes that the gold was washed in from surrounding hills and concentrated in the conglomerate layers.

What is the current state of gold mining in the Witwatersrand?

While the Witwatersrand no longer leads the world in gold production, it continues to produce a significant amount of gold. Mining has become more challenging as the easier-to-reach deposits have been depleted, and deeper mining presents logistical and technical difficulties.

What is the significance of the conglomerate layer in the Witwatersrand gold deposits?

The conglomerate layer is significant because it is the geological formation where the majority of the gold in the Witwatersrand deposits is found. It consists of rounded quartz cobbles and pyrite, with gold dispersed throughout.

Outlines

00:00

🌟 The Greatest Gold Discovery: Witwatersrand District 🌟

Chris Ralph introduces the Witwatersrand gold district in South Africa as the greatest gold discovery in history. The district led global gold production for over a century since its discovery in the 1880s, only being surpassed in 2006. A chart illustrates that one-third of all gold ever found by mankind comes from this district. The story behind the discovery is filled with intrigue, war, and mystery, with geologists still debating how the gold deposits formed. The lesson for prospectors worldwide is to remain open to the possibility of discovering valuable resources even when they don't fit expected patterns.

05:02

🔍 Early Discoveries and the Rise of Johannesburg 🔍

The first gold discovery in the Witwatersrand was made by John Davis in 1852. However, the local government, fearing an influx of foreigners, suppressed the news and Davis was forced to sell his gold to the government and leave the country. Despite this, more discoveries were made, and by 1886, a gold rush began, attracting prospectors from around the globe. The area transformed into a boomtown, eventually becoming Johannesburg, the largest city in South Africa. The growth of the city was accompanied by an increase in vices and crime, and the government's suspicion towards the British and other foreigners who were seen as threats to the local way of life.

10:03

🏭 The Evolution of Mining in the Witwatersrand 🏭

The Witwatersrand gold rush resulted in the establishment of claims and the growth of a shantytown, which evolved into Johannesburg. The government initially underestimated the longevity of the gold deposits but was proven wrong as mining expanded. By the mid-1890s, the mining district was dominated by a few powerful companies with substantial capital and workforces. These companies initially used stamp mill crushing and amalgamation but later adopted cyanide processing to increase gold recovery rates. The Witwatersrand's consistent and reliable gold deposits made it the world's largest gold-producing area.

15:04

📊 Witwatersrand's Impact on Mining and Labor 📊

The Witwatersrand mines have been operational for 135 years, producing over 2 billion ounces of gold. Despite the depletion of the higher-grade ores, the district still holds an estimated reserve of over a billion ounces. The mines have reached depths of over 12,000 feet, where heat and rock burst hazards necessitate advanced cooling systems and the exploration of robotics for mining. Companies like Harmony, Gold Fields, and AngloGold Ashanti continue to operate some of the world's largest gold mines in the region.

20:07

🏞️ Geological Insights into the Witwatersrand Deposits 🏞️

The Witwatersrand's gold-bearing conglomerate layers are explored in detail, showcasing their appearance and composition. The gold is found within a layer of conglomerate that is sandwiched between sandstone layers. The formation of these deposits is a subject of debate among geologists, with theories ranging from hydrothermal activity to ancient alluvial fan deposits. The presence of rounded pyrite and gold particles suggests transportation and deposition through water flow, supporting the alluvial fan theory. Regardless of the formation theory, the Witwatersrand remains a rare example of a gold-bearing conglomerate deposit.

25:07

🌐 Global Comparisons and Exploration for Similar Deposits 🌐

The rarity and scale of the Witwatersrand deposits are emphasized by comparing them to other known gold-bearing conglomerate areas like the Tara fields in Ghana, the Jacobina gold deposit in Brazil, and parts of the Black Hills in South Dakota. None of these deposits match the Witwatersrand's production. Companies like Novo Resources are exploring for similar deposits, such as an ancient paleo-placer in Western Australia's Pilbara region. The key to finding such deposits is to look in areas with known gold occurrences.

30:11

📚 Chris Ralph's Book and Prospecting Wisdom 📚

Chris Ralph promotes his book 'Fist Full of Gold,' which distills his over 45 years of prospecting experience and academic knowledge into a comprehensive guide for finding gold. The book covers various aspects of gold prospecting, including geology, deposit formation, and techniques for finding gold. It has received high ratings and positive feedback from readers. Ralph also mentions his website, Nevada Outback Gems, where he shares stories, adventures, and sells jewelry and gemstones. He encourages viewers to subscribe to his channel for weekly prospecting adventures and insights.

Keywords

💡Gold Discovery

Gold Discovery refers to the process of finding and extracting gold from the earth. In the video, the Witwatersrand (Wit's Water Ridge) gold deposits in South Africa are highlighted as the greatest gold discovery on Earth, with one-third of all gold ever found originating from this single district. The discovery led to a significant increase in global gold production for over a century.

💡Witwatersrand (Wit's Water Ridge)

Witwatersrand is a region in South Africa known for its vast gold deposits. The term translates to 'White Water Ridge' and is central to the video's narrative as the location of the most significant gold discovery. The Witwatersrand Basin has produced over 2 billion ounces of gold, making it the largest gold-producing district in the world.

💡Gold Production

Gold Production is the process of extracting gold from ores and processing it for commercial use. The video emphasizes that the Witwatersrand District led the world in annual gold production for more than a century until 2006. The discussion of gold production is integral to understanding the economic and historical impact of the Witwatersrand gold fields.

💡Gold-bearing Conglomerate

Gold-bearing conglomerate is a type of rock consisting of a mixture of gravel and sand-sized particles containing gold. The video describes how the Witwatersrand's gold is primarily found in a layer of conglomerate, which is significant because it contrasts with the typical quartz veins that prospectors might expect. This layer is where the majority of the Witwatersrand's gold is located.

💡Gold Rush

A Gold Rush is a period of rapid migration of people to an area reported to have a substantial gold discovery, leading to a sudden increase in the local population. The video mentions the influx of fortune seekers from around the globe to the Witwatersrand area, which led to the rapid growth of Johannesburg, a city that emerged from a shanty town into a major metropolis due to the gold rush.

💡Geology

Geology is the scientific study of the Earth, its materials, and the processes that shape it. The video delves into the geology of the Witwatersrand, discussing theories about how the gold deposits formed. Understanding the geology of the area is crucial for comprehending the formation and distribution of the gold deposits.

💡Hydrothermal Theory

The Hydrothermal Theory is a geological concept suggesting that gold deposits were formed by hot, mineral-rich fluids that moved through the Earth's crust. In the context of the video, this theory is one of the explanations for how the gold in the Witwatersrand deposits was concentrated in the conglomerate layers, although it is not the only theory presented.

💡Pleistocene Theory

The Pleistocene Theory posits that gold deposits were formed by ancient river systems, known as paleo-placers, which concentrated gold in gravel deposits. The video contrasts this theory with the hydrothermal theory, suggesting that the gold particles in the Witwatersrand deposits predate the conglomerate formation, supporting the idea that the gold was laid down as part of an ancient river system.

💡Mining Companies

Mining Companies are businesses involved in the extraction of minerals from the earth. The video discusses how, by the mid-1890s, the Witwatersrand mining district was controlled by a few powerful mining companies that had thousands of workers and millions in capital. These companies played a significant role in the development and exploitation of the gold deposits.

💡Cyanide Process

The Cyanide Process is a method for extracting gold and silver from their ores by dissolving it in a solution of potassium cyanide or sodium cyanide. The video mentions that the Witwatersrand mines adopted this process in the 1890s, which allowed them to recover higher rates of gold from their ores and significantly increase production.

💡Gold Prospecting

Gold Prospecting is the act of searching for and discovering new gold deposits. The video's narrator, Chris Ralph, is a professional prospector who shares insights and lessons from the Witwatersrand discovery. The concept of gold prospecting is central to the video, as it relates to the broader theme of exploration and the search for valuable mineral resources.

Highlights

The Witwatersrand Basin in South Africa is the largest gold-producing district in the world, with over 2 billion ounces of gold extracted since its discovery in the 1880s.

The Witwatersrand Basin led the world in annual gold production for over a century, only being surpassed in 2006.

One-third of all the gold ever found by mankind has come from the Witwatersrand Basin.

The discovery of gold in the Witwatersrand Basin was initially met with suspicion and fear by local politicians, who worried about an influx of foreigners.

The first discovery of gold in the region was made by an English miner, John Davis, in 1852, but the find was suppressed by the local government.

The Witwatersrand gold deposits were not recognized for their potential until the 1880s, despite earlier minor finds.

The geology of the Witwatersrand involves a layer of conglomerate rock that contains the majority of the gold.

The Witwatersrand gold deposits were formed through a process that is still debated among geologists, with theories ranging from hydrothermal to placer deposits.

The gold in the Witwatersrand Basin is often found in association with pyrite, and some gold particles have been dated to be older than the conglomerate formation.

Modern mining in the Witwatersrand Basin faces challenges such as extreme depths, high temperatures, and rock burst hazards.

The Witwatersrand Basin still has an estimated reserve of over a billion ounces of gold, although the remaining deposits are deeper and of lower grade.

The Witwatersrand Basin's mining history has significant lessons for modern-day prospectors, emphasizing the importance of not overlooking potential deposits.

The discovery and development of the Witwatersrand Basin have shaped the economic and social landscape of South Africa, leading to the establishment of Johannesburg.

The gold mining industry in the Witwatersrand Basin has evolved from surface mining to deep-level mining, reaching depths of over 12,000 feet.

The Witwatersrand Basin's mining operations are now dominated by a few large mining companies that control the majority of the production.

Despite the challenges, the Witwatersrand Basin continues to be a significant contributor to global gold production, with ongoing exploration for new deposits.

Author Chris Ralph shares his expertise in gold prospecting through his book 'Fist Full of Gold', distilling decades of experience and knowledge into a comprehensive guide.

The book 'Fist Full of Gold' is highly rated and has sold over 15,000 copies, providing readers with valuable insights into finding gold deposits.

Transcripts

I'm going to tell you about by far the

greatest gold Discovery ever made on

planet Earth there is no other District

that's even close not even nearby

nothing it's by Far and Away the

greatest of all gold districts from

every year after its Discovery in the

1880s it led the world in annual gold

production for over a century in fact it

wasn't until

2006 remember it was discovered in the

1880s it wasn't until 2006 that some

other District on planet Earth produced

more that year than this District did

don't believe me that this was earth's

greatest gold Discovery Well let me show

you a chart to prove it to you so this

circle chart represents all the gold

that's ever been found by mankind from

the first caveman who picked up a nugget

in a stream down to Gold that's been

produced recently in Big M with Cyanide

and all together of all the millions of

ounces of gold that have been recovered

by mankind onethird of it has come from

one District in all the Earth and that

word one district is the with Waters

Rand District in South Africa all the

rest of the world combined all of

Australia all of the United States all

of Canada Mexico Central America South

America Europe uh Asia including Russia

China uh the West African gold mines the

North African gold mines all of them put

together is 2/3 and the one district

with wat Rand is onethird of all the

gold we've ever dug it's a strange story

of intrigue and suspicion of war and

strange government officials that didn't

want gold to be found and geologists

still to this day argue amongst each

other as how the gold got there to begin

with it's a story pretty much like no

other so let me tell you all about the

discovery and working of the famous

wiwat ran District in South Africa and

even if you don't live in South Africa

or nearby or visit that country there's

still a number of lessons for

Prospectors all over the globe to learn

from this

Discovery from this district and how it

was worked hey I'm Chris Ralph the

professional prospector and today we're

looking at the W Waters ran gold

discoveries in South Africa now um if

you live in South Africa and you speak

afrian which is the native dialects one

of the uh languages spoken there you

would pronounce it more like vit V

rant but I'm American and I pronounce

things the American way cuz I live in

America and so we're going to call call

it with Waters ran because that's how

it's normally pronounced here although

this guy was not the person who

discovered gold on the witw Rand uh the

first guy who found gold in the region

who you know discovered the first gold

Discovery in the area was a guy named

John Davis he was an English minology

and knew a lot about Mining and gold and

he made this first discovery and he made

this first discovery way back in 18 52

at the time the area was part of a Dutch

boore Republic called the South African

Republic and the people that were there

most of the people were descendants from

the Netherlands or Dutch and uh they had

settled there and Bo kind of means

farmer so they they moved in and started

farms and built towns and they were

settling the land Mr Davis showed his

gold find to then president notorious

and expected that he his find would be

welcomed most politicians when uh gold

is discovered in their land that's great

you know they're excited about it cuz

it's going to bring wealth to their

Nation but pretorius feared what would

happen to his country if the word got

out and the find was spread around

because new people would come and swarm

in probably a lot of them not Dutch

Boors and that they would take over the

country and force the the native the

people that were living there to take on

a different life and of course he would

probably lose power as president he

didn't want Outsiders to come in and

outnumber the people that were living

there and that was more important to him

than the find of gold that Davis had

made Davis was warned that if he told

any foreign powers about his Discovery

and that if a disturbance was created he

would be captured and given the death

penalty Tavis was told to sell his gold

to the government treasury which they

paid him the going rate for and he had

about 140 o that wasn't a bad Discovery

for a single guy right but he was

subsequently escorted to the border and

basically kicked out of the country he

went back to an English colony called

the cape Colony there at the southern

tip of Africa a few other people also

made small fines in the area of the

South African Republic and they were

similarly told that if they let their

Discovery be made widely known that they

would be given the death

penalty at this place in time the Dutch

bors and the English in the southern

part of Africa were highly suspicious of

each other you see this was a time when

England was conquering countries all

over the world and taking over land and

expanding their empire it was the time

when the Sun never set on the English

Empire because it was so far flung

around the globe there was always a part

where the Sun was shining because of

this the English say that it was an

Englishman that discovered that wers ran

deposits and the Dutch say that it was a

Dutch man who discovered them now the

truth is the Dutch guy is the one who

first found gold in the W Waters ran

formation but he only found minor

amounts of gold it was the Englishman

that found the main Reef the main Zone

where the gold comes from in the waters

Rand and yet neither one of them were

really uh aware of the scale and

potential of Their fines uh it's thought

that the Englishman his name was George

Harrison sold his claims uh on the wit

Waters ran for uh less than 10B which in

Modern English or modern American money

is a few thousand he took off to another

area where there was gold because he

thought the prospecting was better and

no one ever heard from him again but

there were a lot of people who were a

lot more farsighted and by 1886 an army

of diggers had descended upon the W

Waters ran hacking away with pics and

shovels and uh digging along a line of

deposit that soon stretched for almost

40 miles going east to west a swarm of

Fortune Seekers started to arrive from

all over the Earth including Australians

uh Californians from the US uh Welsh

Miners and uh Cornish from England and

literally Prospectors scattered from all

over the globe the newly arrived

Prospectors began prospecting the entire

area and started finding quite a bit of

gold part of the problem with why it

took so long to find these deposits and

to recognize their potential you know it

wasn't like the first guy first guys who

found them really saw the potential it

took so long to recognize the potential

you know why because it wasn't what they

were really looking for they were

thinking quartz veins and that kind of

stuff and it doesn't look like that the

W Waters ran and we're going to talk

more about this is a layer of

conglomerate in some other rocks and the

Rocks above and below have little or no

gold in them but this layer of

conglomerate is where all the values are

and this is a big lesson to modern-day

Prospectors because uh a lot of times we

get so focused on one type of thing that

we're looking for that we ignore the

good stuff that's right in front of us

um the same thing happened in the United

States the world's second largest gold

deposits uh second largest District or

region is the Carlin Trend in Nevada and

uh thousands tens of thousands of early

day Pioneers hiked right through there

took their wagons right through there

never recognizing that there was big

deposits of gold all around them because

the Carlin rock it just doesn't look

like anything that you'd recognize as

being a gold deposit so and the same

thing happened here in South Africa so

that's a big lesson to us to keep an eye

on what's really there and to test

things and to not get so focused on one

thing that you ignore the good stuff

that's right next to you now the wat

Rand is a range of low-lying hills in

the transval region the name means

Whitewater Ridge bit bers R okay that's

what it means it means White Water Ridge

let's take a look at some photographs of

the region this is a general view of the

region you can see Rolling Hills and

then the various lines of sedimentary

rocks that are outcropping you can see

here they're turned up almost vertical

but uh the sedimentary rocks are overlin

by some volcanic rocks and honestly you

know I wouldn't take this as the world's

greatest place to prospect but it turns

out that you know it has gold in it that

you wouldn't have suspected there are a

number of picturesque waterfalls uh that

come down and you can see how it gets

the name White

Water this time around other than

compared to the time when gold was first

discovered this time around the

government was willing to accept that

this was a a valid gold find and so they

opened up the area to claim now now

still at this time they didn't think it

would last they thought it would be like

a lot of other districts maybe work for

a few years and then it would Peter out

and that sort of thing and so uh the

government just didn't really think that

much of it in the short term right after

the discovery but the gold fines did not

give out and it kept increasing and more

fines were made and production kept

going up and more people came in and the

gold region just grew and grew a shanty

town was soon built in the area you know

boom Town typical Boom Town and the camp

was known as ferraria Camp however

within a few years this continuing to

grow and sprawl Camp became known as

Johannesburg like many Gold Rush towns

um this you know Gold Rush Town nurtured

basically every form of Vice Banks and

boarding houses competed for space with

over 500 saloons imagine a boom toown

with 500 saloons that's crazy but this

was a really really big Boom Town

criminal organizations groups with roots

in New York City and London found

fertile space to operate in the new

Johannesburg Town within 10 years

Johannesburg was the largest town in the

southern part of Africa the gold rust

saw a massive development of the whole

area and even to this day Johannesburg

is still the largest and most important

metropolitan area in in South Africa

destitute boor Farmers driven from their

lands by debt and by drought uh

clustered in the slum surrounding

Johannesburg uh blacks from neighboring

countries uh migrated to the area often

in large ethnic groups and worked in the

mines signing contracts to work for 6

to9 months and then after they've

completed their contract they would

return home to their rural farms and

lands however some of the blacks settled

permanently in the city

carving out uh niches to work for

various companies uh sometimes as Rick

Shaw drivers uh domestic workers and uh

washermen by 1896 Johannesburg had grown

to a city of over 100,000 people the

waters ran Discovery ushered in an

influx of largely British labor and

capital uh centered on Johannesburg

where the foreigners were seen as

Outsiders and Intruders

remember the government and the Dutch

boers were very suspicious of the

English and they were seen as unwelcome

visitors with a hope that they would go

home soon they were considered to be a

threat to the government and to the

boore farmers way of life but the

powerful mine owners had another way of

viewing things and they wanted a

government that was sympathetic to their

needs however instead the government uh

gave a huge taxes to to various things

they greatly taxed dynamite and some

other things uh trying to slow down the

power and the progress of the big mine

owners and this agitated the mine owners

and uh a lot of the other British

citizens that had power and they took it

as an excuse to try and take over the

government in

1895 the uh mine owners led by Cecil

rhods who was Big Rich uh from the

diamond mines uh he led well he didn't

lead himself but he basically hired and

organized an army to take over the

government and the unfortunate things

they only had 500 men and so they lost

big time uh they couldn't take over the

government with 500 men when it failed

the boor president and the Bor

government began to prepare for a war uh

that they thought was inevitable and yet

the gold deposits of the waters ran

continued to produce heavily and it was

amazingly reliable producing

consistently a good moderate grade of

gold ore that was productive to mine and

work the reef though dips away from the

surface uh to hundreds and ultimately

many thousands of feet deep in the Earth

by the mid 1890s the entire W Waters

Rand mining District was in the hands of

a limited number of half a dozen or so

very powerful massive mining companies

Each of which had thousands of workers

and millions of dollars in capital

raised mostly in Europe and the United

States the Mind owners strove to

increase the profitability of their ore

by controlling production and labor

costs and squeezing them as hard as they

could in order to increase their

profitability although they started with

the classic methods of stamp Mill

crushing and uh recovering the gold by

amalgamation um by the 1890s they

quickly adopted Ed the new process or

then new process of cyanide to recover

even higher rate from their ores and uh

they made a big increase in production

because of the cyanide let's take a look

at some early day mining in South Africa

the outcrops on the surface uh were

worked first and you know on the surface

then they were worked as surface uh

diggings and so the initial diggings

were all on the surface basically

basically strip mining the uh layers of

conglomerate a lot of the early surface

workings were very primitive and very

simple um the miners didn't invest a lot

in the deposits because they weren't

sure how far they would go down but they

kept going deeper and deeper and it

wasn't long before they could no longer

work them from the surface to work the

deposits as they dipped down below the

ground um eventually the miners had to

put in shafts and hoist equipment M and

all the necessary stuff to continue

working it as the layer of conglomerate

rich in Gold got deeper and deeper and

Mining The Ore underground was of course

much more expensive than the initial

mining of it on the surface but they

found that the uh conglomerate layer or

the the wreath as they called it uh was

reliably good with gold it wasn't spotty

like a lot of quartz veins are where

they're good in places but not enough

others the conglomerate Reef was

consistent and reliably good moderate

grade profitable

ore as I've been saying the with

waterand District in South Africa is by

a landslide the largest gold producing

District in the entire world it's

produced in 135 years of mining over 2

billion that's B with a billion with a B

billion ounces of gold and an average

grade of about a half an ounce per ton

or around 15 G per ton the current head

grade of course the the best easiest

stuff was taken first the current head

grade it runs around 6 to 10 G per ton

um that's you know close to a/4 ounce to

maybe a third of an ounce per ton but

the deposit still has estimated reserves

of over a billion ounces now this gold

that that's still left that has hasn't

been mind is the stuff that's harder to

get to it's deeper down and uh thinner

and lower grade so you know obviously in

most cases in the wh Waters ran to the

miners took the best stuff first but the

reserves of a billion ounces is still

five times more than what the Carlin

Trend in Nevada has produced and and the

reserves that we have of upwards of

maybe 200 million the way Waters R

deposits extend for huge distances over

100 miles in some

areas but like I say the easy stuff is

gone and the stuff that's left is hard

to get to now the water Rand still

produces a significant amount of gold

it's just greatly decreased from what it

had been for many decades the deepest

shafts are over 12,000 ft deep that's

more substantially more than 2 miles

deep and down when you get that far into

the Earth you start to actually get heat

from the center of the earth coming up

the Rock at that air you know down that

deep at 12,000 ft is around 60° C or

about 140° F which is just too hard for

you know human miners to work so they

have chilling uh systems to cool the

areas down and uh and there's also

they're looking in various places into

robotics to be able to mine the material

you know in conditions that humans can't

withstand the ores uh that are left are

only about 12 to 18 in thick um the the

the productive uh conglomerate layer and

yet still to this day these deposits and

what's left and what's being produced

out of them support some of the biggest

gold mines in the world uh this includes

Harmony SI gold Fields Anglo gold

Ashanti let's take a look at some more

about the geology of these deposits and

uh what they look like and the ores what

they look like and and then we'll talk

about the uh theories of formation which

like I say geologists still disagree

let's take a look at the ores and the

geology the basic geology right now

let's start off with what the uh what

the conglomerate layers look like and

this is what in the face of an

underground mine the gold-bearing

conglomerate layer would look like you

can see all the white quartz rounded

cobbles and indeed this was a gravel

type deposit of sorts and you can't see

it so well but sprinkled through that

conglomerate layer is a whole lot of

pyite a lot of which is stuff that came

later and the pyite was deposited

perhaps after the uh the conglomerate

form but some of it was depos posited at

the same time as the quartz cobbles

here's another uh view a close-up view

of the conglomerate and you can see the

rounded quartz pebbles in this and you

know it it's rounded quartz with stuff

in between and if you look closely you

can actually see that cracks in the Rock

go through the quartz Pebbles so uh this

has been very well solidified uh over

all the millions of years it since it

was laid down you can see little bits of

pyite in this if you're seeing it in

person but it's hard to see in this

Photograph here's another close-up view

of the gold bearing conglomerate from

the witw Rand again the white rounded

quartz cobbles but in this one you can

see the pyite real plainly the yellow

stuff in here Is Not Gold it's pyite and

there's you can see quite a bit of it

now uh there is gold in this but in

general in most of the W Waters Rand

ores the gold is not visible easily to

the naked eye again here is another shot

of the conglomerate layer and you can

see it's kind of sandwiched between

shayy s Sandstone below and some

Sandstone above but in between is this

conglomerate layer that dips down and

that's where all the gold is and here is

an outcrop of this gold bearing

conglomerate material on the surface uh

you can see it's been thoroughly

oxidized whatever pyite was in it has

been converted to the red Brown iron

oxides and then but you can still see

the rounded quartz cobbles even though

the rest of the material is starting to

wear away but this is what would have

been found by the first discoverers and

they tested it and bound gold in it now

I do want to add that conglomerate is

actually a very common Rock and you know

it occurs in many many places worldwide

and

99.999% % of the time it doesn't have

any significant gold in it gold-bearing

conglomerate really is a one in a

million kind of a thing uh it's just

rare now the conglomerate though is

actually pretty common okay so let's

look at the geology of the W Waters Rand

and it's thought that there were

gold-bearing Hills up above and streams

went out of it into a shallow Inland

Inland Sea where the with Waters round

Basin was and that these streams and

rivers had quite a bit of gold in them

and the gold was eventually deposited in

the delta in the aluvial fan that uh is

at the bottom of the stream where it

dumped the Inland sea the material just

flowed into this huge Basin and built up

layer after layer after layer of sand

and gravels and occasional bits of lava

when there were eruptions and uh a

eventually it came to be that the Basin

was fairly full and the sediments

leading into it comparatively flat and

you see these big aluvial fans coming

out of the mountains the Green Hills

marked here are gold-bearing green

stones that are contributing pyite and

gold and other heavy minerals into this

Basin into the aluvial fan and then once

the river got out of the hills and into

this big flat aluvial fan it was this

braided stream system different lines

but it layered out that when there were

periods of heavier rain and more water

you would get layers of conglomerate and

these conglomerates would be the

material that washed the gold and pyite

and other heavy minerals out of the

hills in this diagram you see the dashed

line is kind of the north edge of the

basin and the orange brown areas along

the north Edge and also the West edge of

the Basin are the aluvial fans that were

coming into the Basin from the hills

with Rich gold veins in them uh and this

is the Lal fans that were dumping into

the Basin in this map the areas marked

in blue are the areas that have been

mined uh for their gold and you can see

that it correlates really well with

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gold and pyite uraninite uranium oxide

mineral and you know eventually like say

more than 11 kilm of sedimentary rocks

and then uh many miles more or many

kilometers more of volcanic rocks were

laid in on top even though because it

tilts the material outcrops at the

surface and the outcrops are all in the

general area near Johannesburg where it

was first discovered and first worked

but from there they dip deep deep deep

down into the Earth and because they

continue down such a long long distance

the mines continue to go deeper and

deeper to get the ore there's two major

camps of uh how people look at these

deposits one is the hydrothermal which

means that you know hot mineralized

fluids came up from down below and

mineralize these layers of conglomerate

and put the gold in them and the uranium

and other minerals the pyod in them and

and that's how it formed the other form

the other theory of formation is that

they were basically laid down as plaster

deposits and uh long ago um uh streams

draining out of the hills to the north

of the water strand uh material came out

of the hills and formed a giant aluvial

fans and the material you know was

sorted through there and the layer that

had the bigger uh pieces of quartz the

conglomerate and stuff would also have

the gold in it as

well over over the years uh these two

different theories have traded places

there's been times when the hydrothermal

theory was favored by many geologists

and not too many people thought pler and

yet there's also been times when more

people thought pler and not so many

thought hydrothermal so they've kind of

traded places back and forth and and

it's been this way since the early days

the the early days of the discovery of

it people were arguing about how it

Formed here's a couple of quick diagrams

to explain these two different points of

view this would be the pler model and

you can see streams coming off of gold

Rich uh Source area there's and there

are

Rich greenstone belt areas surrounding

the wat ran Basin uh the streams brought

gold in and the gold was concentrated in

the conglomerate layers because well

that's where the coarser material are is

the gold would not have concentrated in

the silts and and other fine Sands but

that just like any modern plaster would

concentrate in the coarser materials

like the conglomerate and this model

would be what the hydrothermal model

looked like it would be that long after

the conglomerates were buried and

covered over with Basalt and other

sediments that gold bearing hydrothermal

fluids coming up from faults down below

would find their way up and then find

their way into the conglomerate because

that's the layer where the fluids would

find an easier time of flowing and

moving through and then they Dro their

goal and the gold was deposited into

these conglomerate

layers both theories allow that the gold

kind of tends to look more um it kind of

tends to look more hydrothermal the a

lot of the little pieces are angular and

sharp and but there are some pieces of

gold in the thing that are rounded and

look like they have undergone rolling

and that sort of thing in

plasters and a lot of the gold can be in

small fractures and stuff in the Rock

and one of the things that kind of both

camps agree on is that after deep burial

with all the sulfur from the pyate um

and the hot water for the Deep burial

that after all that that the hot water

and the sulfur have kind of mineralized

the gold and dissolved it in part and

kind of moved it around so you have in

any case some local dissolving and

movement of the gold doesn't mean that

it's moved any long distance but maybe

inches or feet in in in order to

redeposit uh based on that sort of

thing so both sides seem to have you

know different things that they agree on

but things they disagree on uh from my

perspective an important observation is

that the gold is almost all in this

conglomerate layer and as we plaster

miners know the bigger gold you know

even a small flood level gold will be

associated with gravels and that the

really fine Sands and a mud Stone and

that kind of stuff there's not going to

be any significant gold in that and the

deposits of the waters R uh do that I

mean that's how they look um another

thought is that uh much of the pyite and

some of the gold grains themselves like

I say are rounded indicative of pyite

and so both those facts tend to enfor

and tend to support the plaster

model more recent science and Analysis

by uh um scientists have actually been

able to uh estimate the age of the gold

particles and they found that a lot of

the gold particles show geologic ages

older than the conglomerate formation so

this would mean that the gold particles

exist Ed before the conglomerate was

formed and that lens uh Credence to the

plaster

model and although there are geologists

certainly that put out scientific papers

that support the hydrothermal model my

my for my dollar for my point of view um

I would more support the

plaster you know that these things are

laid out in big giant aluvial

fans now paleo plasters or ancient

plasters like the W Waters

have been found in a few other places on

Earth um one of them is the Tara fields

in West Africa in Ghana um the jacobina

gold deposit in Brazil um and even a

portion of the Black Hills in South

Dakota some of the gold that came from

that is thought to have come from

ancient PL paleo

plers however none of these deposits

none of them are come even even anywhere

near close to the incredible production

of the waters Rand there are a few

companies that are exploring uh deposits

like this um one of them is Novo

resources uh who's exploring uh a pler

or ancient pler in the palara region of

Western Australia let's take a look at

uh some of the uh pilbara area

conglomerate material and see how much

it looks like the WW R it just doesn't

doesn't have the size and scope and the

gold that the South African deposits do

now here's a picture of the gold-bearing

conglomerates from the pilbara region of

Western Australia and you can see they

really do look pretty much exactly like

the gold-bearing conglomerate outcrops

in the witw Strand area and you know

like I say just because there's a

conglomerate doesn't mean that it's got

gold in it um you know it's gravel and

gravels sometimes have gold one of the

things if you're going to go looking for

gold-bearing conglomerates it needs to

be in an area where there's known to be

gold in the WW Rand area the hills that

are to the north that dumped into the WW

Rand Basin yeah there's known gold

deposits up there that are still exposed

today and the pbar region of Western

Australia yep there's known gold

deposits all around there and the same

is true with some of the other places

including the Black Hills of South

Dakota there's certainly known gold

deposits around the area where there's

some gold bearing conglomerates ancient

conglomerates so that's just a hint for

prospecting for these things you want to

be in an area where there's known

gold so after 135 years of continuous

Mining and that's another thing you know

most big mining districts get mine for a

number of years maybe decades but then

eventually the or plays out well the wh

Waters Rand has been continuously minded

since its Discovery in

1886 but the production you know like I

say the the easy stuff is gone and the

stuff that's left is more and more

difficult to to mine and by 2014 uh the

production of the wood rers Rand had

fallen to only about 15% of total World

production still the with wat Rand mines

are by no means worked out and the area

still has a very large resource although

like I say almost all of it is below

10,000 ft uh down to get to it and

Mining at those kind of depths presents

a whole lot of problems and one of the

things that's about that is it dips at

not a very steep angle the the deposits

of the waters ran and when you get down

that deep the rock is under huge

pressure and you literally get not rock

falls but Rock bursts because it's it's

under so much pressure The Rock can

literally explode out uh because it's

under such incredible pressure of all

the rock above it but with all the

difficulties uh the the water Rand

continues produce and exploration for uh

extensions and uh new layers of deposits

continues in the area

and overall the you know the prospect

for continued production in South Africa

is a good one now wherever you are uh

whatever you're doing finding gold is

always a skill it's always work whether

you're in South Africa or the United

States Australia elsewhere Canada um

wherever you are you know what your

knowledge of gold and gold deposits is

makes a difference and you know the more

you know the less likely you are to

ignore good things like I talked about

early where people look so much for one

thing that they ignore something else

that's good next to them um so the more

you know the better off you are and I

wrote a book to give you the skills of

gold prospecting and if you're

interested in going out and finding your

own gold this book is a great start it's

called fist full of gold because that's

what I want you to go out and find

fistfuls of gold for yourself and I'm

going to tell you a little bit more

about my book right

now so this is my book fist full of gold

you can see it's an encyclopedia

distilling down my 45 plus years of

prospecting experience plus my degree

into the parts that you need to

know I spent most of 10 years writing

this it was not just a simple effort

that uh oh I sat down and wrote it you

can see it's like a quarter of a million

words

it's not something you're going to read

through in a day or maybe even a week or

more but it's got a lot of information

and reference material that you can come

back to you know you can read it once

and read it again and get more out of it

because there's just that much depth of

material in this I wrote this book

because I want you to have the skills to

go out and find fistfuls of gold for

yourself and if you have the skills and

know what you're doing doing and get out

in the field and make a real effort you

can find significant gold it's not easy

I'm not going to tell you that because

you know gold if it wouldn't be you know

close to $2,000 an ounce which is what

it is right now it wouldn't be so

expensive if it was easy to find it's

not easy you just can't walk out into an

old Goldfield and start picking up

nuggets if the if the gold was easy to

see and find the oldtimers would have

picked it up and taken it themselves so

you got to have skill you got to know

what you're doing you got to be able to

to master what it takes to find gold and

you've got to have the persistence and

put in the effort to find the material

to find the gold or diamonds or

gemstones that you're looking for now

this has book has geology it has facts

about gold it has stuff about diamonds

and platinum but it's mostly about gold

gold deposits how gold deposits form how

plaster and Nuggets form you know all

the questions you probably wanted to ask

the book is available on Amazon and I'll

put a link to it in the description

below but you can look up on Amazon fful

of gold and by Chris Ralph and find this

book now the book If you look on it it

has a very high rating it has like a 4.7

or 4.8 out of five which is a really

high High I mean it's hard to please

everybody but I'm close to a five out of

five not far from it right so it's been

out I've sold more than 15,000 copies of

this book and I've had tremendous

response tremendous positive response by

the people who buy it and I think if you

buy it you'll be just as happy with it

now in addition to my book I also have a

website that I do and I'll tell tell you

a little bit more about my website and

show you some images from the website

right now now my website is Nevada

Outback gems.com and I'll put a link to

the prospecting page this prospecting

encyclopedia page down in the

description below but you can find it at

Nevada Outback gems I sell some jewelry

turquoise other gemstones there uh I

don't always keep the uh inventory

perfectly up to date so if you're

interested in anything you see do

contact me first before trying to send

me money or anything because I want you

to be able to get what you order but the

website has lots of different stories

old Adventures uh even some stories uh

true stories from the oldtime miners of

the 1800s so I think it's something

you'll find interesting the other thing

I want to go back to is that all my

comments I want you guys to ask

questions on the comments for my videos

I answer

100% of the comments that are made on my

videos now sometimes if somebody just

says hey great video I really enjoyed it

you know I the comment may just be well

I'm really glad you liked it uh or or

you know if it's a simple question um

and sometimes I get people who ask me a

question I would take a book to answer

that question and I recommend that they

just buy the book but I answer all my

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as I can I'm here to help you so if

you're interested in gaining the skills

if you're interested in knowing what you

need to know to be successful follow

along with me subscribe to my channel

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Saturday morning and you'll enjoy with

me you'll come along with me we'll have

an adventure together and we will find

some nice gold and see what it's really

like getting out in the woods or the

deserts or the mountains wherever we

land wherever the gold is wherever the

diamonds are wherever the Platinum is

come along we'll have some fun and I'll

see you real soon on the next video