The Largest Gold Nugget Ever Found

The Pepita Canaã is the world’s largest existing gold nugget in the world, And the largest gold nugget ever found in Brazil, and It was discovered on July 16, 1983, by a garimpeiro (prospector) named Júlio de Deus Filho in the Serra Pelada mine, located in the state of Pará, Brazil.

At the time of its discovery, the Pepita Canaã weighed 60.82 kilograms (134.08 pounds) and had a gold content of 52.33 kilograms (115.38 pounds). It was later purchased by the Banco Central do Brasil (Central Bank of Brazil) for 4.4 million Brazilian cruzeiros (approximately US$1 million at the time).

The discovery of the Pepita Canaã was a life-changing event for Júlio de Deus Filho. He became a local celebrity and was able to use the proceeds from the sale of the nugget to improve his life and the lives of his family and community.

The Pepita Canaã is currently on display at the Banco Central do Brasil's Museu de Valores (Museum of Values) in Brasília, the capital of Brazil.

The Largest Gold Nugget in the world ,The Pepita Canaã, on display at the Banco Central do Brasil's Museu de Valores

Facts about the Pepita Canaã Nugget

• The Pepita Canaã is made up of a mixture of gold and quartz.
• The name "Pepita Canaã" means "Canaã Nugget" in Portuguese. It was named after the nearby town of Canaã dos Carajás.
• The Pepita Canaã is not the only large gold nugget that has been found in Brazil. In 1980, a nugget weighing 36.2 kilograms (79.8 pounds) was found in the same mine.
• The nugget is valued at over $10 million.

The Pepita Canaã is a significant cultural and economic symbol for Brazil. It represents the country's rich history of gold mining and its continued importance as a global producer of gold. The nugget is also a popular tourist attraction, drawing visitors from all over the world to see its incredible size and beauty.

The Largest Gold Nugget Historically

Historically, The largest gold nugget ever found was known as the "Welcome Stranger," discovered in 1869 in Moliagul, Victoria, Australia. It was initially estimated to weigh around 2,520 troy ounces, which equates to approximately 78.75 kilograms or 173 pounds. After being melted down, it was found to contain 71 kilograms of pure gold, indicating that some impurities were removed during the smelting process. Unfortunately, it was broken into pieces for transport and eventually melted down, leaving no physical evidence to definitively verify its original form and total gold content, though historical records confirm its existence and size.

Replicas of the Welcome Stranger ,The Largest Gold Nugget, are based on drawings from the time

The Pepita Canaã and the Welcome Stranger each have their own claim to fame, with the former being the largest gold nugget by weight and the latter notable for its size before processing and the historical context of its discovery, yielding significant pure gold after smelting.

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