Top 10 Deepest Mines in the World

The leading country in terms of the deepest mines is South Africa. Not far from Johannesburg are some of the world’s largest gold mines, which produce more than 50% of the global output of this precious metal annually. Here is a list of the top 10 deepest mines on the planet:

“Komsomolskaya” Mine – Russia (1100 m)

The “Komsomolskaya” mine is the deepest in Russia, known for its complex mining and geological conditions. It was founded in 1944, when the Soviet Union had an urgent need for coal, and the Donbas region, for obvious reasons, could not be fully utilized. As a result, miners had to begin coal extraction in the Arctic region.

In 1944, three mines were established on the western wing of the Vorkuta coal basin.

In 1975, as a result of bold engineering decisions, the three mines were merged and named “Komsomolskaya.”

The mine is still in operation today and has undergone several модернизации (modernizations). In the summer of 2018, a new coal seam was put into operation.

2. Bazhanov Mine: Ukraine, 1200 meters

The Bazhanov mine is a coal mining enterprise located in the city of Makiivka, in the Donetsk region. It is the only mine in the Donbas region listed in the Encyclopaedia Britannica. Its depth reaches 1,200 meters.

3. Progress Mine: Ukraine, 1350 m

The Progress coal mining enterprise is located in the Donetsk region. It was opened in 1973 and has industrial reserves of 95.5 million tons of coal. Mining operations are carried out at depths of up to 1,350 meters.

4. A. A. Skochinsky Mine – Ukraine (1450 m)

The A. A. Skochinsky Mine is a coal mine located in Donetsk. Mining operations there are carried out at depths ranging from 1,200 to 1,450 meters. At the time of its opening in 1975, it was the deepest mine in the world.

5. Gvardeyskaya Mine – Ukraine (1590 m)

The Gvardeyskaya mine is located in the city of Kryvyi Rih, in the Dnipropetrovsk region. Industrial extraction of iron ore within the mine dates back to 1886. It is a complex and highly branched mine, with its deepest shaft reaching 1,590 meters.

6. Shakhterskaya-Glubokaya Mine – Donbas, USSR (1546 m)

The Shakhterskaya-Glubokaya mine is a coal mining enterprise located in the city of Shakhtarsk, Donetsk region. Detailed exploration of the deposit began in 1969. The main shaft was sunk in September 1970, and the mine itself was put into operation in December 1986. At the time of its commissioning, it was the deepest mine in the Soviet Union, reaching nearly one and a half kilometers in depth.

7. Mponeng Mine – South Africa (3800 m)

The Mponeng mine is one of the deepest mines in the world, located near Johannesburg in South Africa. Its depth reaches approximately 3,800 meters. The mine primarily focuses on gold ore extraction, but it gained global attention in 2002 when scientists discovered a strain of bacteria living in the radiation of radioactive ores.

8. Western Deep Levels Mine – South Africa (3900 m)

The Western Deep Levels Mine is another mining site in South Africa, with a depth of 3,900 meters.

9. Witwatersrand Basin – South Africa (4500 m)

The Witwatersrand mining area is the largest deposit of gold ore and uranium in the world. It is located in the former Transvaal province, southwest of Johannesburg. Its depth exceeds 4,500 meters, and temperatures in working conditions can rise above 50°C.

10. TauTona Mine – South Africa (5000 m)

The TauTona Mine, also known as the “Golden Lion,” is the deepest mine in the world. It extends 5,000 meters underground, where miners extract ore with the highest gold concentration—about 9 grams per ton. Temperatures in the underground workings can exceed 60°C. In total, the mine’s tunnels stretch over 800 kilometers. This massive complex is also located near Johannesburg.