Geology Reference
In-Depth Information
Geo-inSight
The Precious Metals
The discovery of gold by James Marshall at Sutter's Mill near
Coloma in 1848 sparked the California gold rush (1849-1853)
during which $200 million in gold was recovered.
NEVADA
Carson City
Placerville
Lake Tahoe
Sacramento
Yosemite National Park
San
Francisco
Stockton
P A C I F I C
PACIFIC
O C E A N
Colorado
River
OCEAN
1. Specimen of gold from Grass Valley, California.
Gold is too heavy and too soft for tools and
weapons, so it has been prized for jewelry and as
a symbol of wealth, but it is also used in glass
making, electrical circuitry, gold plating, the
chemical industry, and dentistry.
CALIFORNIA
Gold rush belt
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100
200
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100
200
300 km
2. A miner pans for gold (foreground) by swirling
water, sand, and gravel in a broad, shallow pan.
The heavier gold sinks to the bottom. At the far
left, a miner washes sediment in a cradle. As in
panning, the cradle separates the heavier gold
from other materials.
3. Gold miners on the American River near
Sacramento, California. Most of the gold came from
placer deposits in which running water separated
and concentrated minerals and rock fragments by
their density.
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