Raging rivers are replenishing historic Gold Rush spots
For 170 years, the gold deposits along Sierra streambeds have been so poked and prodded that easy supplies of the precious metal have grown scarce and are a challenge to find. This spring’s raging rivers are regifting them. … [G]litter suddenly illuminated the inky black sand. A half bucket of material yielded 12 showy specks — nearly a tenth of a gram of gold, worth about $7 — about double the typical haul in previous years. Prospectors call it “flood gold” — fine-sized flakes carried by alluvial waters and then deposited as flow recedes.