Gold-rush miners sought gold by eroding entire hillsides with
high-pressure water cannons, contrary to popular conceptions of panning
for gold, Gabet told LiveScience. The sediment was then run through
"sluice boxes," where mercury was added to bind to gold. But large
quantities of the heavy metal made its way into sediment downstream.
This destructive mining filled valleys with sediments that caused
flooding in California's Central Valley, and in 1884, the federal
government shut down much of this gold-mining activity, Singer said.
http://sys03-public.nbcnews.com/science/gold-rushs-poisonous-legacy-mercury-lingering-10-000-years-8C11491331
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