Gold Mining
The rocks of the "Rand" or reef, as the Witwatersrand is sometimes known, are rich in uranium and gold. The area is famous for being the source of 40% of the gold ever mined from the earth. It extends for 280 kilometres from Klerksdorp in the west to Bethal in the east and is 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) deep in places. The South African currency was named after it. The reef's most northerly tip was discovered only a few kilometres from the present day town of Magaliesburg, at Blaauwbank, in 1874.
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Famous quotes containing the words gold and/or mining:
“There is too much sour grapes for my taste in the present American attitude. The time to denounce the bankers was when we were all feeding off their gold plate; not now! At present they have not only my sympathy but my preference. They are the last representatives of our native industries.”
—Edith Wharton (1862–1937)
“It’s a mining town in lotus land.”
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