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Why are these massive streams of water to blast entire mountainside instead of shovels. Can gold really be washed out of dirt? The truth is more surprising than you might think. The high pressure water isn't used to spray out gold directly. Its real purpose is to break apart the layer of soil that contains tiny gold particles. When the powerful stream hits the hard-packed earth, it quickly turns into mud and flows downhill. But controlling this equipment is not as easy as it looks. The extreme water pressure constantly pushes the nozzle backward, forcing workers to lower their stance and use their arms and even their full body weight to control the direction. But the most important step comes next. The sluice box. As the muddy water flows through a series of grooves and special mats, the lighter dirt and sand are carried away, while the heavier gold particles sink at the bottom. But what they collect at this stage is not pure gold. It usually contains heavy sand and other minerals mixed in. That's why miners must continue washing, separating, and refining the material until the real gold is finally extracted. Even after the first clean up, more processing is needed to remove the remaining impurities and reveal pure gold.