Rudolf Krahmann

Rudolf Krahmann (1896 - 1971)^[1] was a German geophysicist who was instrumental in discovering one of the richest gold fields of South Africa.

Krahmann was born in Berlin; his father was a professor of Mining Economy at the University of Berlin.^[2] As a young man, Krahmann studied economic geology, before taking a job as a prospector for which he travelled extensively (Austria, Hungary, Romania, Poland, Spain, Java, Australia, New Zealand).^[2] In the course of this work, he developed a method of prospecting by means of a magnetometer.^[3]

In February 1930, Krahmann and his wife Gertrud emigrated to South Africa.^[1] A few months later, while sitting on a hill near Krugersdorp, an area already famed for its gold, he noticed that his compass was being deflected by rocks that were rich in iron.^[3] He realized that he could search for gold indirectly, by using a magnetometer to trace the iron-rich shales associated with the deep gold deposits of the Witwatersrand.^[4] This soon led to the discovery of two immense deep gold deposits, the Carbon Leader Reef and the Ventersdorp Contact Reef, and the establishment of a number of new gold mines.^[1]

Krahmann was a supporter of the Nazi party, and at the start of the second world war, he was interned in South Africa and then repatriated to Germany in 1944.^[1] In 1945 he was arrested by the Soviets, and spent more than three years as their prisoner in eastern Germany.^[1] He and his wife returned to South Africa in 1950.

In honor of Krahmann’s achievements, the highest award of the South African Geophysical Association is named the Krahmann Memorial Medal.^[5][6]