The discovery site.

Rhine gold, which is found today between Basel and Mainz, originates from the quartz layers of the Alps. The gold arrived in the last ice age via the Swiss river Aare which flows into the Rhine - finally settling in meander deposits. In the channel of the upper Rhine Valley the gold lies as very fine grains between rough gravel and sand up to approximately 30 m deep.

On average 30,000 grains result in only one gram of gold.