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Depreciation of Non-Mining Assets (Detail)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2011
Vehicles
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Depreciation rate	20.00%
Computers
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Depreciation rate	33.30%
Furniture and Equipment
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Depreciation rate	10.00%

X

- Definition

Depreciation Rate

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	gfi_DepreciationRate
Namespace Prefix:	gfi_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

X

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_PropertyPlantAndEquipmentLineItems
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration