A Burmese woman panning for gold in a small stream near Putao stops to have her portrait taken, Kachin State, Myanmar (Burma), Asia

A Burmese woman panning for gold in a small stream near Putao in the north, Kachin State, Myanmar (Burma), Asia

Gold panning, Nong Kiew, Laos, Indochina, Southeast Asia, Asia

Panning for gold in Ilakaka, Ihorombe Region, Southwest Madagascar, Africa

Gold panning in the Mekong River, Laos, Indochina, Southeast Asia, Asia

Gold panning, Sovereign Hill, Ballarat, Victoria, Australia, Pacific

Gold panning, Nong Kiew, River Nam Ou, Laos, Indochina, Southeast Asia, Asia

Woman panning for gold in the Mekong River, at Pak Ou, Laos, Indochina, Southeast Asia, Asia

Elderly man panning for gold, Elvire River, Old Halls Creek, Kimberley, Western Australia, Australia, Pacific

Gold panning, Sovereign Hill, Ballarat, Victoria, Australia, Pacific

Women panning for gold in the waters of the Mekong River in Vietnam, Indochina, Southeast Asia, Asia

Boys panning in the Bagmati River for gold from teeth and jewellery, after the remains of funeral pyres are tipped into the river, Pashupatinath Temple, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Kathmandu, Nepal, Asia

Boys panning in the Bagmati River for gold from teeth and jewellery, after the remains of funeral pyres are tipped into the river, Pashupatinath Temple, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Kathmandu, Nepal, Asia

People panning for gold, Sovereign Hill Mining Village, Ballarat, Victoria, Australia, Pacific

A bar in the old gold rush town of Nome in Alaska, United States of America, North America

Gold Diggers Museum, Tourists panning for gold, Gold Diggers Village, Tankavaara, Finland

Man panning for gold, Icabarú, Gran Sabana, Venezuela, South America

Placer mining, gold panning at the Klondike, Dawson City, Yukon Territory, Canada

Men, gold panning on Gold Bottom Creek, Klondike gold rush, Dawson City, Yukon Territory, Canada, North America

Sacks filled with gold dust are put together in Sudan. Illegal gold-mining in the region of the fourth cataract of the Nile in northern Sudan. People from the nearby villages work in shallow shafts in the desert. The rocks containing gold are crushed in a special mill. Some of the material is washed with water on the spot but the major part of it is taken to a village. 12/01/2007

The Mother Lode Gold Hounds on a Sunday outing looking for gold on the north fork of the American River. Henry Gnecco, 12, has been panning for seven years and won 5th prize in a national contest.

A young woman holds a black gold pan while panning for gold in Barkerville, British Columbia, Canada.

Panning for gold

A young woman laughs while panning for gold in Barkerville, British Columbia, Canada.

Gold mining in the territory area of Golden-crowned Sifaka, Daraina, Northern Madagascar, Africa

Gold mining in the territory area of Golden-crowned Sifaka, Daraina, Northern Madagascar, Africa