Witwatersrand gold reef
Yacimiento aurífero del Witwatersrand
- Date
- 1886 · confidence high
- Place
- Langlaagte, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa
- Credited to
- George Harrison and George Walker
- People
- 👤 George Alfred Walker1807–1884👤 George Harrison1811–1885
- Field
- Cosmos & Earth
⚠️ Disputed: the sources disagree.
What was discovered
The discovery of the Main Reef, ancient gold-bearing conglomerates forming the largest gold deposit on Earth. It has produced close to a third of all the gold ever mined in history.
Whether the gold is an ancient placer (palaeoplacer) or was introduced by later hydrothermal fluids is debated.
What it led to
- the founding of Johannesburg
- deep mining below 3 km
- mass labour migration in southern Africa