The small-scale miner has reasonable opportunity to exploit some of these small, rich placer gold deposits. 

Prospectors often wonder why gold deposits in veins like it does. Why is one vein rich while another is barren, even though they are only a few hundred feet apart?

New theories have been developed and they may lead to new discoveries and give prospectors some new insight on where to look for diamonds.

This mine was a real wonder of engineering, and the water supply and drifts had to be carefully managed to keep it in operation. In fact, it didn’t close due to lack of gold, but instead closed with the fall of the Roman Empire.