Because the process of panning takes a lot of water to wash the mud and dirt away and screen out the bits of precious metal, early mining sites were all set up near rivers, so that water would be easily accessible.
由於在淘金的過程中，需要使用大量的水，以便從汙泥中清洗出沙金，因此早期的礦場，都設在水源易取的河流沿岸。