Exercise
Mining Tools and Techniques
Examine the methods and tools used to extract gold during the California Gold Rush. Learn how miners used pans, sluice boxes, and other techniques to find gold.
Questions
-
MultiChoice
What simple flat metal dish was swirled with water and gravel to reveal heavy gold?
-
MultiChoice
Which physical property of gold allows panning to separate gold from soil?
-
MultiChoice
Which mining wooden box was rocked back and forth while pouring water over dirt?
-
MultiChoice
What was a long wooden trough with wooden strips (riffles) that trapped gold in running water?
-
MultiChoice
Which technique used high-pressure water hoses to wash away entire hillsides?
-
MultiChoice
Why was hydraulic mining eventually harmful to the environment?
-
MultiChoice
What name was given to mining loose gold found in stream beds and sand?
-
MultiChoice
What type of mining required digging deep underground shafts to break quartz rocks?
-
MultiChoice
What is a large, solid piece of natural gold called?
-
MultiChoice
What were the wooden crossbars inside a sluice box called that caught heavy gold flakes?
-
MultiChoice
What shiny mineral often fooled inexperienced miners into thinking they found real gold?
-
MultiChoice
Which basic hand tools were owned by virtually every individual prospector?