Stunning rare photographs by NASA reveal Amazon’s rivers of gold

According to details, the rivers of gold captured in the photos are in reality pits believed to have been dug by unlicensed miners.

The pits are usually not visible on ground but are illuminated when sunlight reflects on it.

The photographs were captured by an astronaut on the International Space Station (ISS).

The photographs are also the proof how gold miners are digging the land illegally in Peru’s rainforest.

The country is a largest producer and exporter of gold and Madre de Dios is home to a huge unregulated industry with thousands of miners trying to make a living.

The area is hotspot for biodiversity and the extractive industry has led to extensive deforestation and destruction of vital habitats.

NASA has explained that the pits where miners are looking up for gold appear as hundreds of basins filled with water, engulfed by mud where vegetation has been removed.