Long Ball, I agree with you. Although I'm not a Geologist, I have panned for gold in the Yukon and got flakes and nuggets, where this is quit common, however when you look at a drill core (core shack at PEDAC for example) you will see many times very thin or sometimes wider veines of gold.
I would say that most gold found is not in nugget form, but form mines of disseminated gold mineralization.
There is a great book, that my Son gave me (he is in the Geo business), which can really educate anyone interested in all this.
"Introduction to Mineral Exploration", Blackwell Publishing.
As I said, I'm not an expert, but I have learned a lot from listening to my Son and him passing on the exitement about Geology in general and the SLI and Gold part came from Murry.
Btw, and old timer in gold panning told me in the Yukon, that to know that you have nugget, opposed to a flake, is when you drop the gold into the pan and you can hear it, it is a nugget. (For what its worth).
My whole family is long on SLI
Real888