Largest Buried Treasure Found

I thought Robinson Crusoe was just an 18th Century novel. It turns out it was based on the true story of Alexander Selkirk. He was a Scotish Sailing Master on the English ship Cinque Ports and had concerns about its seaworthiness and opted to be put ashore on an uninhabited island. The Cinque Ports subsequently sank but he was marooned for over 4 years before being rescued in 1709. His story inspired the book and in 1966 the island (of the coast of Chile) was renamed Robinson Crusoe Island.

Unrelated to Selkirk, in 1715 Spanish navigator Juan Esteban Ubilla y Echeverria hid on the island Incan treasure stolen during the Spanish conquest of Peru. Before he could return to it, it was found by British pirate Cornelius Webb and reburied on another area of the island. It has never been found. Legend has it the booty, weighs 800 tonnes and includes two papal rings and a storied jewel known as the "Rose of the Winds".

Arturito is a robot, named after R2D2 and invented by Chilean salvage company Wagner Technologies. It uses sonar to scan up to 50m underground. In June it found a massive arms cache and in August it found the remains of missing businessman Francisco Yuraszeck. Continuing its streak, this month it seems it found the Robinson Crusoe Island Treasure on Cerro Tres Puntas (Three Peaks Hill). Excavation begins in October which will prove the claim. The treasure could be worth over $10 billion.

And now the lawyers. The site is in a Chilean national monument. One law states that any material of historical value, including ancient treasure, found on government property is archaeological by default and therefore must be returned to the state to allow for historical research on the artifacts found. Another law states that in any discovery where the rightful owners cannot be determined, the finds should be divided equally between the finder and the property owner. Chile's government wants it all, Wagner Technologies wants half (saying it will donate it to 3 Chilean charities) and island Mayor Mark Gonzalez wants the 600 inhabitants to get half the value.