Where, Why, and How . Malleable Can be hammered into thin sheets. Overburden The dirt and rocks that lay on top of a gravel deposit that contains gold. See Placer Mining . Placer Gold Placer gold is gold that is found loose in gravel and stream beds.
Miners use panning or sluicing techniques to extract placer gold.
See An Interview with Doug Colp . Placer Mining A method of mining in which the overburden is removed to expose the gold-bearing gravel deposits underneath. The gravel is then sluiced to separate the gold. See Placer Mining . See Types of Gold .