Story: Gold and gold mining

Alluvial gold

Alluvial gold

These gold nuggets have been mined from river gravels in Otago. The gold has been beaten by boulders in flood waters, then folded back over countless times to give these flattened shapes. Dark impurities visible in the larger nuggets are black mineral sands (possibly magnetite) and the lighter impurities are quartz grains.

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Private collection
Photograph by Frazer Perry

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How to cite this page:

Carl Walrond, 'Gold and gold mining - Where you find it', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/8597/alluvial-gold (accessed 29 March 2024)

Story by Carl Walrond, published 12 Jun 2006