Stunning NASA photo shows 'gold' Peruvian Amazon rivers — but there's a dark backstory By Jack Guy, CNN enablePagination: false endIndex: (CNN) — All that glitters is not gold, the saying goes, as proven by a new photo taken from the International Space Station (ISS). What appear to be rivers of gold running through the Amazon rainforest in Madre de Dios state in eastern Peru are in fact prospecting pits, likely left by independent miners, according to NASA's Earth Observatory, which published the photo taken by one of its astronauts. The pits are normally hidden from view to those on the ISS but stand out in this shot due to reflected sunlight.