World of the Bizarre

Man finds massive gold nugget in Australia

By T.K. Randall
January 19, 2013 ·  19 comments

Image Credit: Cordell Kent The nugget was found approximately 60cm underground near the town of Ballarat in Victoria, Australia. Weighing in at 5.5kg, the massive chunk of gold is valued at more than $300,000 and is the largest ever found by a prospector in the region. The unnamed man who discovered the nugget said that he'd been out with the detector and came across something that he initially believed to be a car bonnet until he dug it up.

"I have been a prospector and dealer for two decades, and cannot remember the last time a nugget over 100 ounces (2.8kg) has been found locally," said gold exchange shop owner Cordell Kent. "It's extremely significant as a mineral specimen. We are 162 years into a gold rush and Ballarat is still producing nuggets - it's unheard of."[!gad]The nugget was found approximately 60cm underground near the town of Ballarat in Victoria, Australia. Weighing in at 5.5kg, the massive chunk of gold is valued at more than $300,000 and is the largest ever found by a prospector in the region. The unnamed man who discovered the nugget said that he'd been out with the detector and came across something that he initially believed to be a car bonnet until he dug it up.

"I have been a prospector and dealer for two decades, and cannot remember the last time a nugget over 100 ounces (2.8kg) has been found locally," said gold exchange shop owner Cordell Kent. "It's extremely significant as a mineral specimen. We are 162 years into a gold rush and Ballarat is still producing nuggets - it's unheard of."


Source: BBC News | Comments (19)

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