Aerial cinematic view of an artisanal gold mining site (orpaillage) in Central African Republic. Hundreds of small shallow pits densely packed together, each 2 to 4 meters wide, with irregular zigzag and winding shapes following the natural gold veins underground — not vertical or straight, but curved, angled and meandering like snake trails dug into the earth. Piles of reddish-brown laterite soil surround each pit. Dead and dying palm trees and sparse degraded vegetation between the pits. A muddy brown contaminated river nearby. Surrounding tropical forest visibly thinning and degrading at the edges. Golden hour dramatic lighting, dust haze, photorealistic, drone aerial photography, high resolution, environmental documentary style. No people visible.