Editing Prospecting (section)

== The gold rushes ==
{{main|Gold rush}}
In the United States and Canada, prospectors were lured by the promise of [[gold]], [[silver]], and other [[Precious metal|precious metals]]. They traveled across the mountains of the [[American West]], carrying picks, shovels and [[Placer mining|gold pans]]. The majority of early prospectors had no training and relied mainly on luck to discover deposits.

Other gold rushes occurred in Papua New Guinea, Australia at least four times, Fiji,<ref>Fiji through a Prism of Geology and Mines Inspection. Chapter 5 in: White F. Miner with a Heart of Gold: biography of a mineral science and engineering educator. Friesen Press, Victoria. 2020. ISBN 978-1-5255-7765-9 (Hardcover) 978-1-5255-7766-6 (Paperback) 978-1-5255-7767-3 (eBook)</ref> South Africa and South America. In all cases, the gold rush was sparked by idle prospecting for gold and minerals which, when the prospector was successful, generated 'gold fever' and saw a wave of prospectors comb the countryside.