Kazak herdsman finds 7.85kg gold nugget

In early 2015 an ethnic Kazakh sheep herder was taking an evening rest near a mine in China's northern Xinjiang region when he found the nugget "practically lying on the bare ground." It was found in the region's remote Altay Prefecture area.

Market prices for the nugget, estimated to be 80 percent pure gold, is 1.6 million yuan, or about $255,300. The nugget is said to be the largest ever found in the Xinjiang region. The government-run Beijing Morning Post reported that if the state takes the gold, the herdsman’s outlook for compensation is dim, noting that in 2011 a farmer found a priceless Neolithic stone ax while digging on his land but received a mere 100 yuan ($16) in reward.

Altay sits near the borders with Russia, Mongolia and Kazakhstan.