$160,000 Gold Nugget Found by Chance in Australia

The man, who asked not to be named, used a budget metal detector to investigate

an area of a state in Australia known as the "Goldentriangle". In the 1800s, it was the epicenter of the gold rush in the country. He brought his find to be appraised at Lucky Strike Gold, a store in nearby Geelong.

"Our jaws dropped from the floor when we firstsaw it,” wrote Darren Camp, owner of Lucky Strike Gold, on the company’s social media page. He described the specimen as "an absolutely stunning gem".

Initially, the man who found the nuggethe hoped that he would receive at least 10,000 AUD (Australian dollars, about $6,700 - approx. Hi-tech) for it. However, the owner of Lucky Strike Gold immediately realized that its value was at least 100,000 AUD. However, this was only half of the sample. The man who found the specimen said he split the stone in half, expecting to find a hard gold nugget inside.

According to the BBC, a stone weighing more than 4.6 kgcontained a whopping 2.6 kg of gold worth $160,000 (AUD 240,000). Although it is not uncommon to find gold in this part of Australia, Darren Camp said that in 40 years "this is the biggest ... I have ever seen."

After evaluating the nugget, the owner of Lucky Strike Gold bought it from an amateur seeker.

Read more:

It turned out that photosynthesis does not work the way scientists thought. Now they want to hack it

Distant radio galaxy turned out to be a black hole, which is directed directly at Earth

Found a way to reduce weight and blood sugar. Scientists promise the effect of surgery

Cover photo: Lucky Strike Gold