Describe two effects of the

gold rush on California.

The Gold Rush also had a severe environmental impact. Rivers became clogged with sediment; forests were ravaged to produce timber; biodiversity was compromised and soil was polluted with chemicals from the mining process.

the effects of the Gold Rush were substantial ... However, the Gold Rush also had negative effects: Native Americans were attacked and pushed off traditional lands, and gold mining caused environmental harm. The Gold Rush started at Sutter's Mill, near Coloma on January 24, 1848.