In order to facilitate exploration and mining of placer gold in historic placer regions increasingly innovative mining and exploration methods must be employed.
Using a combination of historic and modern exploration tools, it is possible to delineate placer gold deposits in areas which were previously thought to be exhausted of reserves. These placer settings are sometimes referred to as ‘technogenic’, a term used to describe original gravel remnants and gold-bearing tailings which formed as a consequence of inefficient technology or poor mining techniques. These deposits may now be exploited using modern exploration and mining methods.