Science & Technology

Huge 175-ton jade stone unearthed in Burma

By T.K. Randall
October 16, 2016 ·  16 comments
Found in Kachin state, the enormous hunk of jade weighs 175 tons, is 19ft long and 14ft high.

The mining of jadeite is big business in Myanmar (Burma) and constitutes half of the country's entire GDP. The valuable green stones are used to craft everything from statues and tools to fine jewelry.

210-ton giant jade stone unearthed in north of Myanmar, the second largest in the country's history pic.twitter.com/Psn1XzbBoX

— CCTVNEWS (@cctvnews) October 16, 2016

In this case it is likely that the record-breaking stone will be cut up and sold to China.

"We thought we had won the lottery," said Sao Min, one of the miners who helped excavate it. "But this belongs to the country. It is in honour of our leaders."

Source: BBC News | Comments (16)

Tags: Jade, Burma