Spectacular Gold Nugget Found In Mariposa County - California

A California man recently dug a spectacular goldgold, experienced prospectors in the western US
nugget weighing 5.17 ounces in the mother lodeand Australia are having some considerable
region of Mariposa County, California. Thesuccess finding rich nugget patches missed by the
gentleman who found it made his discovery whileold time miners of the 1800s. The recent
using a metal detector to look for gold nuggets inincreases in the price of gold, now standing at
an area previously worked by the 49ers. Thenearly $700 per ounce, has spurred the interest
finder valued his amazing chunk of gold atof many in pursuing the recreational art of
approximately $10,000 because of its beautifulprospecting for gold, and many are still heading to
specimen quality. The nugget was resting beneaththe hills to see what they can find.
about one foot of soil, and was recovered in lateMariposa County is a historic location in the
April of 2007. Several friends have been workingfoothills of the Sierra Nevada mountain range at
this area with excellent results, and a goodthe southern end of California's Mother Lode
number of valuable finds have been made. Only aregion. The town of Mariposa is a popular tourist
few weeks before this most recent stunning find,attraction, touted as the "gateway to Yosemite
another nugget, over three ounces in weight, wasValley". There are a number of other popular
recovered only about 50 feet away from thefamily oriented tourist attractions in the area as
spot the five-ounce nugget was found. Thewell, including California's State Mining and Mineral
location is on private property, and is not open toMuseum. The collection contains mining artifacts,
the public. Locations containing concentrations ofrare specimens of crystalline gold in its many
large nuggets like this one are known toforms, as well as beautiful gem and mineral
prospectors as "nugget patches", and finding themspecimens from California and around the world.
is the goal of prospectors everywhere.This includes the Fricot nugget, a 200-ounce
Modern metal detectors are proving to be quite acrystalline gold specimen from California, thought
boon in recovering large gold nuggets, as the oldto be one of the most beautiful pieces of natural
time prospectors had no tool in their arsenal thatgold in the world. The town also allows gold
was anything close to it. Although there is workpanning in Mariposa Creek, which runs through the
and special skills required to find this type of bigtown.