Nugget from Western Goldfields Australia

Over time, weathering and erosion processes separate particles of gold from their original locations, allowing them to be deposited elsewhere. In flowing waters, the heavy gold particles collect in potholes, bends and other natural traps. Over longer periods of time, this process can form large nuggets. Today, panners recover gold particles long before large clusters can form. The largest documented German nugget was found 400 years ago and weighed 10.2 grams. By contrast, this nugget found in the goldfields of West Australia, which weighs almost 4 kg, seems gigantic.

Text courtesy of Goldkammer