The Mojave Nugget is a large

gold nugget :''"Gold nugget" may also refer to the catfish Baryancistrus xanthellus or the mango cultivar Gold Nugget.'' A gold nugget is a naturally occurring piece of native gold. Watercourses often concentrate nuggets and finer gold in placers. Nuggets a ...

found in

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, United States. It was found in the Stringer district near Randsburg by prospector Ty Paulsen in 1977 using a

metal detector A metal detector is an instrument that detects the nearby presence of metal. Metal detectors are useful for finding metal objects on the surface, underground, and under water. The unit itself, consist of a control box, and an adjustable shaft, ...

. The nugget, which weighs , is part of the Margie and

Robert E. Petersen Robert Einar "Pete" Petersen (September 10, 1926 – March 23, 2007) was an American publisher who founded the Petersen Automotive Museum in 1994.Hevesi, Dennis (March 27, 2007)Robert Petersen, Publisher of Auto Buff Magazines, Dies at 80.''Ne ...

Collection of gold nuggets that was donated to the

Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County is the largest natural and historical museum in the western United States. Its collections include nearly 35 million specimens and artifacts and cover 4.5 billion years of history. This large coll ...

. As of 2022, the scrap metal value of 4.9kg of gold is approximately US$270,000. The collection contains 132 pieces of gold and has a total weight of more than .

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mojave Nugget Gold nuggets Natural history of the Mojave Desert Metal detecting finds in United States 1977 in California