Miners have discovered two massive gold-encrusted rocks estimated to be worth millions of dollars each in Western Australia.
The biggest weighed 95kg (210lb) and was found to contain more than 2,400 ounces of gold.
Canadian mining company RNC Minerals said it had extracted gold worth £9m from a mine near Kalgoorlie and the find was “extremely rare”.
The second rock yielded around 1,600 ounces of gold and weighed in at 63kg (138lb).
Professor Sam Spearing, director of the Western Australia School of Mines, said: “People do still record finding nuggets in goldfields, but typically they are less than several ounces.
“Very, very seldom do we see results on that level. This is an exceedingly rare find and very exciting.”
The Beta Hunt mine, where the giant nuggets were found, had been used to extract nickel until the discovery last week.
Over the past week, approximately 9,250 ounces of high-grade gold was produced from the mine.
RNC chief executive Mark Selby said: “Recovering 9,250 ounces of high-grade coarse gold from a single cut on the 15 level at our Beta Hunt mine, including specimens which could rank among the largest ever discovered, underlines the importance of this discovery.”
The largest rocks will go to auction as collector items, Mr Selby said.
