Containing or producing gold; yielding or bearing gold deposits.
From Latin aurum (gold) combined with -ferous, meaning 'bearing' or 'producing' (from ferre, to carry). Geologists use this term to describe rocks and regions rich in gold.
The California Gold Rush of 1849 was sparked when prospectors recognized auriferous gravel and rocks in rivers—and the gold wasn't actually a discovery because Native Americans had used it for thousands of years before European settlers arrived.
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