[10] The oxygen these microorganisms produced rapidly reacted with, amongst others, any dissolved iron compounds in the water, producing insoluble red iron oxide (rust), which precipitated out during the daylight hours. It is the younger Central Rand Group that contains most of the gold bearing conglomerates, locally referred to as banket, that are today of great economic importance. The Witwatersrand Supergroup strata which reach the surface in Johannesburg dip downwards to the south at an angle of about 30°. W.H. Evidence from tungsten isotope studies indicates that most gold in the crust is derived from gold in the mantle which resulted from a meteorite bombardment some 3900 million years ago (i.e. The war continued for years through guerrilla warfare until heightened British actions put them at bay. Our jewelry and gemological specialists will work with you from start to finish to create your custom sapphire jewelry. Sapphire Specialists, in New York City Since 1939. [1] This east-west-running scarp can be traced with only one short gap, from Bedfordview (about 10 km [6 mi] west of O.R. [6] Its size and position relative to Southern Africa today are indicated in the diagram on the left. Production does not come easy though. 79 Council Avenue This sandy layer eventually became compressed to form the Orange Grove Quartzite, the lowermost layer of the Witwatersrand Supergroup. The Witwatersrand escarpment has immense geological significance, and its rock formations and rock composition yield valuable geological data to scientists. [6] The entire series of rocks, known as the "Witwatersrand Supergroup," consists of very hard erosion resistant quartzites, banded ironstones and some marine lava deposits, interspersed with softer, more easily eroded tillites, mudstones and conglomerates. the past 150 million years, but especially during the last 20 million years. We invite you to send us a message through our website at any time. The area of the craton on top of which Johannesburg is now situated, became a vast riverine plain, which extended along the entire northern and western shoreline of the shrunken sea, in an arc extending from Evander in the east, through Johannesburg, Carletonville and then southwards to Klerksdorp and Welkom in the south-west. We offer a vast selection of blue sapphires, pink sapphires, yellow sapphires, white sapphires and other unique natural sapphires. In this context, it lent its name to institutions including the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits University) and the defunct Rand Afrikaans University (RAU, now part of the University of Johannesburg). Harrison declared his claim with the then-government of the Zuid Afrikaanse Republiek (ZAR), and in September 1886 President Paul Kruger issued a proclamation declaring nine farms public mining diggings, starting on 20 September 1886. The Witwatersrand is a word in Afrikaans which means “The Ridge of white waters”. [2][6][12], Uplifting of the north of the Kaapvaal Craton, in addition to orogenesis (mountain formation), towards the end of the deposition of the “West Rand Group” of sediments caused the Witwatersrand sea to retreat. [6] In fact, apart from the Witwatersrand outcrops (i.e. [1] The conglomerate was quickly traced east and westward for a total continuous distance of 50 km to define what became known as the “Central Rand Gold Field”. Because of the extraordinary quantities of gold that have been extracted from the Witwatersrand rocks, the South African currency was named the rand in 1961 upon the declaration of the republic. It was laid down in two stages, over the course of 260 million years starting just short of 3000 million years ago. The extreme economic significance of this g… [2][1] However, when it was found that, traced downdip, the conglomerate was not merely developed for the narrow width of a river, but continued in depth, there came the realisation that this conglomeratic zone was part of a sedimentary succession. What Is The Color Of a Padparadscha Sapphire? It is also the reason behind the South African currency gaining the moniker of “Rand” in 1961. The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, also known as Wits University is a leading, internationally-ranked, research-intensive University located in Johannesburg, South Africa, the economic heartland of Africa. Afrikaner commandos during the Second Boer War (1899–1902). The basin is famous for its very large deposits of gold and uranium that occur as detrital minerals in conglomerates. The Natural Sapphire Company Reviews on TrustPilot | To learn even more about topics related to precious metals, head over to More Precious Metal Details. Located 45km south-west of Johannesburg in the Witwatersrand Basin, South Africa, South Deep is also the seventh deepest mine in the world, with a mine depth up to 2,998m below the surface. How Do You Best Establish the Value of a Sapphire? The institution moved to Johannesburg in 1904 and acquired full university status in 1922. Like the diamond discoveries before, the gold rush caused thousands of foreign expatriates to prospect and mine the region. The gold was in its free elemental form. Geological map of South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland (1970). Today, the Witwatersrand reef is part of the “golden arc,” an ancient inland lake containing rich deposits of alluvial gold. [2] This heralded the historic Witwatersrand Gold Rush. ... in what is now known … This accounts for approximately 22% of all the gold that is accounted for today.[2]. Thus, when mine waste comes into contact with oxygenated rainwater, sulfuric acid is released into the ground water. Council for Geoscience, Geological Survey of South Africa. 6 East 45th St, 20th Floor There was no free oxygen in earth's atmosphere until about 2000 million years ago, but there were photosynthesizing cyanobacteria. The Witwatersrand plateau consists of a 5000- to 7000-metre-thick layer of mainly sedimentary rocks laid down over a period of about 260 million years, starting approximately 2970 million years ago. The result was a 2500 m thick layer of rock that is termed the “Central Rand Group”, which together with the “West Rand Group”, forms the “Witwatersrand Supergroup”. Adam Mahomed Habib (born 1965) is a South African professor of political geography, incoming director of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London as of 1 January 2021, and the former Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in Johannesburg, South Africa. About 3000 million years ago local cooling of the underlying asthenosphere caused subsidence of the south eastern portion of this microcontinent below sea level. The Witwatersrand Basin is a largely underground geological formation which surfaces in the Witwatersrand. The University of the Witwatersrand (also known as WITS) comes with different categories of Application Forms 2021 for prospective students. List of famous alumni from University of the Witwatersrand, with photos when available. The Witwatersrand (locally the Rand or, less commonly, the Reef) is a 56-kilometre-long (35 mi), north-facing scarp in South Africa. It is a range of hills in the Gauteng province South Africa that contains most of the worlds gold reserves. Witwatersrand and the Rand are names for the conurbation that developed along the range, although the terms are falling into disuse[citation needed] and Witwatersrand was the "W" in PWV (Pretoria-Witwatersrand-Vereeniging), the initial name of Gauteng province. Thousands of exquisite, natural, untreated sapphires to choose from, matched perfectly with our beautiful, custom designed, hand crafted settings. at approximately the time that the Kaapvaal Craton formed). [6], The vast majority of the Earth's gold and other heavy metals are locked up in the earth's core. [2] From there on they are almost everywhere, with very few exceptions (see below), covered by younger rocks. University of the Witwatersrand Application Form. His brother Thomas was the first chairman. Commonly known as Wits University or just Wits, the University Of Witwatersrand is a multi-campus public research university in South Africa that is … [2][1] 81–160. The rocks of the "Rand" or reef, as the Witwatersrand is sometimes known, are rich in uranium and gold. The 200-by-350-km (124-by-217-mile) Witwatersrand Basin contains an 11-km- (7-mile-) thick sequence of lavas and sediments that are 3 billion years old. David Lewis-Williams, Professor emeritus of Cognitive Archaeology at the University of the Witwatersrand; specialist in Upper-Palaeolithic and Bushmen rock art; founder of the Rock Art Research Institute at the University of the Witwatersrand Gold occurs only along the northern and western margins of this basin, but not in a continuous band. It was a key part of the Mineral Revolution The larger Johannesburg Metropolitan Area is also known as the Witwatersrand (“Ridge of White Waters”). The gold in the Witwatersrand Basin area was deposited in Archean river deltas having been washed down from surrounding gold-rich greenstone belts to the north and west. Sat: 1:00pm - 4:00pm ET The huge deposits of gold in this region were the prime factor responsible for the growth and development of the city of Johannesburg, and also greatly aided the economy of South Africa as a whole for decades. It is also the reason behind the South African currency gaining the moniker of “Rand” in 1961. Although legends of a South African “El Dorado” existed among the natives of the area, it was not until 1886, when a poor Australian prospector named George Harrison staked the first claim, that the vast riches of the “Rand” were discovered. [17] The park is on the busy Main Reef Road, immediately west of Nasrec Road. [1][2] However, when it was found that, traced downdip, the conglomerate was not merely developed for the narrow width of a river, but continued in depth, there came the realisation that this conglomeratic zone was part of a sedimentary succession. It is the source of over 40% of the gold extracted from the Earth. There are unfortunately no gold deposits in these outcrops. The abundance of this gold is without a natural equal anywhere else in the world. [2][6][12] The kerogen, or bitumen, that is found in association with the gold deposits almost certainly represents what remains of these Archean photosynthesizing micro-organisms.[6]. Not all the conglomerates contain gold, and of those that do (known as “reefs” by the miners), the gold is not uniformly distributed throughout the layer, but tends to occur in streaks, where the pebbles that make up the conglomerate are larger than elsewhere. Witwatersrand Gold Rush - WikiMili, The Free Encyclopedia - WikiMili, The Free Encyclopedia. [6][15][16] Sulfuric acid also erodes concrete and cement structures, resulting in structural damage to buildings and bridges.[15][16]. . We're here to help! It holds the world's largest known gold reserves and has produced over 1.5 billion ounces (over 40,000 metric tons), which represents about 22% of all the gold accounted for above the surface. This quartzite layer can be seen lying on its granite base in Johannesburg, where it forms a 56 km long east-west ridge over which several rivers running to the north form waterfalls, giving rise to the name Witwatersrand, which in Afrikaans means “Ridge of White Waters”. Latest News All News Towards herd immunity from Covid-19: Costing a vaccine strategy for South Africa 7 January 2021 Mining's year ahead will demand deep innovation 6 January 2021 Building Africa's AI initiative 6 January 2021 How sub-Saharan Africa can rethink its approach to agriculture 5 January 2021 Wits was ranked as the top university in South Africa in the Center for World University Rankings (CWUR) in 2016. Weidenfeld and Nicolson, London. It was on the southern portion of this ridge that gold was first discovered on the farm Langlaagte in 1886, 5 km west of Johannesburg. In retaliation, the uitlanders and the British mining interests joined forces to overthrow the Boer government. Sun: 10:00am - 6:00pm ET. All of our sapphires are cut on our premises and are available loose or mounted in a custom setting. 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What Does ‘Natural’ and ‘Untreated’ Mean? At the Natural Sapphire Company we specialize in providing our customers with the finest quality natural sapphires. The Witwatersrand Gold Rush was a gold rush in 1886 that led to the establishment of Johannesburg, South Africa. The gold bearing meteorite events occurred millions of years after the segregation of the earth's core. Our natural untreated sapphires offer true beauty, rarity and superior value compared to treated sapphires. It is the source of over 40% of the gold extracted from the Earth. The scarp forms the northern edge of a 7-to-10-kilometre-wide (4–6 mi) plateau (or ridge) which rises about 200 m (660 ft) above the surrounding plains of the Highveld. As with the California Gold Rush, the Witwatersrand Gold Rush had extensive social and political implications. Thank you for trusting us with your sapphire purchase! The University of the Witwatersrand colloquially known as Wits University is internationally recognized for its excellent research, high academic standards, and its commitment to social justice in Africa and beyond. Gold was discovered in the area known as Witwatersrand, triggering what would become the Witwatersrand Gold Rush of 1886. Stanley, S.M. Prominent graduates from University of the Witwatersrand include celebrities, politicians, business people, athletes and more. Harrison's original Zoekers' (in English: seekers', or prospectors') Claim No 19 was declared a national monument in 1944, and named Harrison's Park. The University of Witwatersrand is a leading public university strategically established in the industrial and commercial heart of South Africa. In addition to the founding of Johannesburg, the Witwatersrand Gold Rush was a major factor leading to the, The Boer farmers denied these “uitlanders” voting rights and mounted heavy taxes on the gold industry. [13] The Witwatersrand Basin Project (WBP) comprises two historic mining centres on the Northern Edge of the Witwatersrand Basin in the Central Rand Goldfield immediately southwest of the city of Johannesburg. The Witwatersrand plateau consists of a 5000-to-7000-metre-thick (3.1–4.3 mi) layer of mainly sedimentary rocks laid down over a period of about 260 million years, starting approximately 2.97 billion years ago. Kirk, Jason; Joakin Ruiz; John Chesley and Spencer Titley; Brink, A.B.A. [2][6] The impact was close to the present village of Vredefort, which has given its name to the geological remnant of this immense event: the Vredefort Dome. It is clear that for the next 200 million years the flood plain was repeatedly inundated, sometimes eroded, and sediments re-deposited. Once the news got out, prospectors from all over the world flocked to the area, laying the foundation of the present day metropolis of Johannesburg. This protected it from erosion later on; but, possibly more importantly, bringing it to the surface close to the crater rim, near Johannesburg. The University Wits is a phrase used to name a group of late 16th-century English playwrights and pamphleteers who were educated at the universities (Oxford or … Discovery of the Witwatersrand … Tankard, A.J., Jackson, M.P.A, Erikson, K.A., Hobday, D.K., Hunter, D.R., Minter, W.E.L. [3] The entire plateau-like structure is also often called the Witwatersrand. The gold fields of the Witwatersrand Basin in South Africa are, by a landslide, the largest single gold producing district in the world. Today, the Witwatersrand reef  is part of the “golden arc,” an ancient inland lake containing rich deposits of alluvial gold . The result was alternating red and gray layers of mud which, when consolidated, became banded ironstones. It might be related to the collision of the Kaapvaal Craton with the Zimbabwe Craton, eventually to become knitted together to form a single continental unit. Demuvawatha, Ratnapura A final event that had a major impact on the geology of the Witwatersrand Basin and its exposure in the Johannesburg region, was a massive meteor impact 110 km to the south-west of Johannesburg 2020 million years ago. ’’What is Life?’’. Most of the basin is deeply buried under younger rocks, but outcrops occur in Gauteng, the Free State, as well as in some of the surrounding Provinces. The Boer farmers denied these “uitlanders” voting rights and mounted heavy taxes on the gold industry. University of Witwatersrand Information. Building Publications, Pretoria. [9], The Witwatersrand basin was created during the Archean Eon, and is therefore amongst the oldest geological structures on earth. conurbation that developed along the range, removal of a several kilometres thick layer of deposits from the surface of the Southern African Plateau, "Three Historic Johannesburg Passes | The Heritage Portal", http://www.goldsheetlinks.com/production.htm, Behind gold's glitter, torn lands and pointed questions, "Outcrop of Main Reef Group of Conglomerates Langlaagte Johannesburg-9/2/228/0196", Relationships between the Vredefort structure and the Witwatersrand basin within the tectonic framework of the Kaapvaal craton as interpreted from regional gravity and aeromagnetic data, List of fossiliferous stratigraphic units in South Africa, Tectonic evolution of the Barberton greenstone belt, Department of Mineral Resources (South Africa), Department of Mineral Resources and Energy, Archean life in the Barberton Greenstone Belt, Geological Commission of the Cape of Good Hope, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Witwatersrand&oldid=996396357#Witwatersrand_Basin, Short description is different from Wikidata, Use South African English from February 2017, All Wikipedia articles written in South African English, Pages using infobox mountain with multiple parameters, Articles with unsourced statements from July 2020, Articles with unsourced statements from February 2018, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Cammack, Diana (1990) "The Rand at War: the Witwatersrand and the Anglo-Boer war 1899–1902, This page was last edited on 26 December 2020, at 10:04. Known commonly as Wits University, its mission is to uphold liberty of inquiry and the continuing pursuit of knowledge and truth. The Witwatersrand Rifles Regiment ceased to exist when it was renamed Bambathat Rifles in August 2019. Freeman and Company, New York. Deposition of the predominantly siliciclastic basin fill began shortly after 2985 Ma in a shallow marine environment, maybe along a passive margin to an old continent to the north(west), and under generally cool climatic conditions (West Rand Group). For a unique viewing experience visit our private Penthouse Showroom in Manhattan NYC. Mon - Fri: 10:30am - 6:00pm ET Shafts go down some 3,900 meters b… Located in South Africa, the Witwatersrand Basin represents the richest gold field ever discovered. 297–301. Although legends of a South African. The oldest rocks (laid down 2.97 billion years ago) form the northern scarp of the Witwatersrand plateau; the youngest (laid down 2.71 billion years ago) are those that form the southern edge of the plateau. [2] The basin straddles the old provinces of Transvaal and the Orange Free State, and consists of a 5000–7000 m thick layer of Archean, mainly sedimentary rocks laid down over a period of about 260 million years, starting about 3000 million years ago. The Natural Sapphire Company Reviews on, The Witwatersrand Gold Rush initiated South Africa’s domination of world gold production. Some of these gold bearing fan deltas are now at depths of 4 km below the surface. The “West Rand Group” and “Central Rand Group” of rocks together form the “Witwatersrand Supergroup”, the full horizontal extent of which is termed the Witwatersrand Basin.[2][6][1]. In addition to the founding of Johannesburg, the Witwatersrand Gold Rush was a major factor leading to the Second Boer War. It was a key part of the Mineral Revolution. The “Central Rand Group” of deposits was brought to an abrupt end by massive outpourings of lava, which form the Ventersdorp lavas which erupted 2715 million years ago. In retaliation, the uitlanders and the British mining interests joined forces to overthrow the Boer government. The Natural Sapphire Company Videos on YouTube | The resulting 2500 m thick layer of rock is termed the “Central Rand Group”. The Mesoarchaean Witwatersrand Basin represents the largest known gold anomaly and has produced more gold than any other ore province in the world. Famous for experiments in probability performed while interned (in Denmark) during the second world war. pp. p. 81-83. [1] Harrison had stumbled on the Main Reef conglomerate (part of the “Johannesburg Subgroup” of rocks — see illustration above). South Deep was known by the name Western Areas Gold Mine until 2000. [14], Apart from the obvious hollowing out of the rocks below southern Johannesburg, causing unpredictable sinkholes, surface instabilities and earth tremors,[15] the bringing to the surface of rocks that had been laid down in oxygen-free conditions had unforeseen effects. It is this area in which the main gold reserves, the lifeblood of the province, are found. Founded in 1896 as the South African School of Mines in Kimberley, it is the third oldest South African university in continuous operation. [2] Tillite deposits, dating from 2950 million years ago, are indicative of the first glaciation episodes on earth. Gold rushes throughout the world have created massive cultural shifts that resonate to this day. Silver, uranium, and iridium are recovered as gold-refining by-products. #Witsie4Life Storytelling Series Wits Alumni Relations presents the #Witsie4Life storytelling series, shining a light on ordinary people doing extraordinary things. The oldest rocks (laid down 2.97 billion years … (1999). The University of the Witwatersrand Undergraduate Application Form 2022/2023 and postgraduate Admission Application Form 2022/2023 has been released online. [6][12] Within 60 million years, up to 4500 m of sediment had accumulated on the granite base, to become the “West Rand Group” of rocks that contribute over 60% of the total thickness of the Witwatersrand Supergroup. The entire series of rocks, known as the "Witwatersrand Supergroup," consists of very hard erosion resistant quartzites, banded ironstones and some marine lava deposits, interspersed with softer, more easily eroded tillites, mudstones and conglomerates. Why Do Labs Not Agree On Sapphire Gradings? [7] Thus, it is possible that if it had not been for the Vredefort meteor strike 2000 million years ago, we would either have never discovered the rich gold deposits beneath the Southern African surface, or they would have been eroded away during the uninterrupted removal of a several kilometres thick layer of deposits from the surface of the Southern African Plateau in the relatively recent geological past: i.e. We invite you to view our full selection of sapphires, blue sapphire rings and custom sapphire jewelry and discover what makes the Natural Sapphire Company the world's greatest collection of natural sapphires. Here the gold is associated with other minerals, especially iron pyrite and uraninite, as well as carbon rich materials such as kerogen, or bitumen, which occurs in small balls less than 1 mm (0.04 in) in size, called “flyspeck carbon”, or as continuous layers about 10–20 mm (0.4–0.8 in) thick.

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