noun
- a deposit of sand, gravel, or other sediment containing particles of valuable minerals (especially gold) that can be obtained by washing
Usage: geology; mining
Examples
- The miners worked the placer along the riverbank, panning for gold.
- Placer deposits are formed when heavy minerals settle out of flowing water.
- The California Gold Rush involved extensive placer mining operations.
- They discovered a rich placer containing both gold and platinum.
- Placer mining requires less equipment than hard rock mining.
- The stream carried gold particles that formed a placer downstream.