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Giant 5.5 kilogram gold nugget discovered in Australia

Posted at 1:56 PM, Jan 18, 2013
and last updated 2013-01-18 14:14:16-05

A lucky prospector has found a giant, 5.5 kilogram gold nugget in Australia worth over $300,000.

The prospector found the nugget about 60 centimeters underground, according to the Herald Sun.

Ballarat Mining Exchange Gold Shop owner and dealer Cordell Kent said the prospector heard a faint noise on his detector and removed a dense pile of leaf mulch before he started digging.

“He thought he had detected the bonnet of a car when he saw a glint of gold,” Mr Kent said.

“He cleaned the top of it and the gold kept expanding and expanding … he saw more and more gold … he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.”

The nugget is worth about $282,000 in weight, but has an added premium because it is rare to find one over a kilogram, Mr Kent said.

Read more at the Herald Sun.