Congo-Kinshasa

When gold is panned in DR Congo, black sand is often what you want to see left behind.

Sand and gravel from riverbeds are washed with water. Lighter material is carried away, while gold and other heavy minerals sink and become concentrated at the bottom.

What remains is often a mixture of gold grains and black sand. The dark grains are heavy minerals, some of which can be removed with a magnet before the gold is processed further.

Gold panning is practised in many parts of the world. In DR Congo, it remains an important part of artisanal mining.