placer

plac·er  (plsr)

n.

1. A glacial or alluvial deposit of sand or gravel containing eroded particles of valuable minerals.

2. A place where a placer deposit is washed to extract its mineral content.

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[Spanish, shoal, placer, from Catalan placer, shoal, from plassa, place, from Medieval Latin placea; see place.]

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placer [ˈplæsə]

n

(Mining & Quarrying)

a.  surface sediment containing particles of gold or some other valuable mineral

b.  (in combination) placer-mining

[from American Spanish: deposit, from Spanish plaza place]

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placer  (plsr)

A surface deposit of minerals, such as gold or magnetite, laid down by a river. The minerals are usually concentrated in one area because they are relatively heavy and therefore settle out of the river's currents more quickly than lighter sediments such as silt and sand. The extraction of minerals from placers, as by panning, washing, or dredging, is called placer mining.

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

placer - an alluvial deposit that contains particles of some valuable mineral alluvial deposit, alluvial sediment, alluvium, alluvion - clay or silt or gravel carried by rushing streams and deposited where the stream slows down