What is placer gold?
Placer gold is eroded from hard rock gold sources. It is then carried downstream by streams and rivers. These pieces of gold are found in the form of nuggets, flakes or grains. When the currents in the streams or rivers slow down, they eventually are no longer strong enough to suspend the gold – which is heavy – in their waters. When this happens, the gold is deposited at the bottoms of stream and river valleys. Over thousands of years, these streams and rivers change course, and the valleys fill with sediments, including placer gold deposits. The heavy placer gold migrates downward through the sediments. They are typically concentrated near the bottom of the gravel layers, just above solid bedrock. Often, the gold is covered by 50 feet or more of sediment. Yukon placer gold deposits are typically found in creek and river valley bottoms, but they have also been found on some hillsides along the edges of valleys. These hillside deposits are known as “benches.
