On the beach: The waves are continuously eroding the shoreline. Gold and other heavy minerals will usually be diverted into layers or pockets. Lighter sand will be washed further and further out to sea. A large area can quickly be researched to a good depth in the sand. Ancient shorelines higher up on the land and all river beds are also easy to penetrate. It is in these placers where testing and panning should be done for evaluation. If the heavy minerals contain gold and its origin is going to be discovered, the tracks have to be followed upstream.
Fig. 4.10 Points where gold is used to appear on the beach.
