Chinese herder discovers gold nugget shaped like China
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
Chinese media reported Friday that a Kazakh herder, Berek Sawut, found a 17-pound gold nugget — and it's shaped like China.
Sawut found the nugget on Jan. 30 while resting near a mine. He was apparently afraid he wouldn't be able to keep it, because he thought all ore from local mines belonged to the government, but so far he has been able to hold onto the nugget.
The nugget is the largest of its kind to be found in the Xianjiang region, which has more than 600 gold mines. It's not solid gold, though — the nugget is made of "dog head gold," which contains natural gold ore along with quartz and other minerals. China's news reports did not estimate the nugget's value.
Article continues belowThe Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Meghan DeMaria is a staff writer at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked for USA Today and Marie Claire.
