One French farmer has experienced the simultaneous highs and lows of a major discovery, as his elation at finding over $4,000,000,000 worth of gold on his land quickly turned to despair when he realized that he might not get to keep it thanks to a shocking rule.
We've been hearing more and more about otherwise uninteresting stretches of land being suddenly transformed when someone finds a valuable material hidden within, and only recently have Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos been fighting over what many are calling the biggest lithium reservoir in the world.
This is largely due to the dramatic increase in value for certain metals and rare Earth materials that are used in the production of things like smartphones, electric cars, and other valuable piece of tech.
However, you can't quite beat the feeling of a gold rush and that's exactly what 52-year-old French farmer Michel Dupont realized when he stumbled upon fragments of gold worth over $4,000,000,000 underneath the soil of his own land.
Farmer finds $4,000,000,000 worth of gold underneath soil
As reported by Cornwall Live, Dupont's discovery came after he had spotted a glimmer underneath a stream on his farm, which upon closer inspection was a fragment of gold wedged in the earth.
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He then decided to dig a bit deeper in search of some more, and the gold kept on coming and coming.
Upon evaluation, it is estimated that his farm in France's Auvergne region is home to roughly 150 tonnes of the valuable metal, which could have made Dupont a multi-billionaire overnight.
"I was just doing a routine check of my land. Then I saw this strange shine in the mud," Dupont explained. "When I dug a little deeper, I couldn't believe what I was holding in my hands."
Why might he not be allowed to keep the gold?
Unfortunately, it's not all good news for Dupont and his golden fortune though as there's a good chance he won't be able to claim a single penny from the discovery.
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Officials from the Auvergne region have now prohibited the farmer from mining on his own land, indicating that they would have to grant authorization after a technical and environmental impact study has been completed.
This is to protect areas in the countryside or places that could potentially have high value, and unfortunately Michel's farm now falls clearly into both categories.
He has also faced pushback from environmental campaigners who have voiced their opposition to the significant disturbance any mining activities would cause within the surrounding area, indicating that they value the 'tranquility' that would be removed if Dupont was allowed to go ahead.
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While the farmer remains "disappointed" that his plans aren't allowed to go ahead, at least for now, he has expressed that his understanding that officials want to show "caution" before any potentially destructive efforts start within the area.