Some of the rare diamonds on Earth were unveiled by scientists to be located deep down under Earth’s surface. Valuable diamonds usually have a transparent surface, and they are extraordinarily large. After many years of research, specialists were still wondering how such amazing gems managed to form. This topic was considered rather hard to study, especially when such fantastic rocks do not always reach under a microscope to be analyzed by scientists, but rather on a ring finger.
- New study has brought more data about where diamonds form.
- Researchers have established that these precious rocks are forged deep down below Earth’s surface.
- The inclusions of a diamond contain a mixture of minerals rich in metal coated with graphite.
Recently, a new analysis of the forged imperfections carved by nature and trapped in such fantastic rock represent evidence that they formed in liquid metal located at hundreds of kilometers below the surface of our planet. Graham Pearson, who is a geochemist at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada, argued that previous studies suggested the location of rare diamonds.
Apparently, the place of formation of these precious rocks was not precisely established. New findings contributed to past research, providing a more accurate explanation of the site where these diamonds form. The gems which were examined by a team of scientists were known to be type II diamonds. These rare rocks contain low levels of nitrogen, making their surface extremely clear.
Researchers rarely manage to grant access to use so many diamonds in a study. Evan Smith, who is the co-author of the study also being a geologist at the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) in New York City, had the opportunity to analyze such precious rocks because GIA often examines thousands of gems on a daily basis.
He together with his colleagues tested approximately 53 diamonds, taking a closer look at the small pieces of material encapsulated inside the rocks. Previous studies argued that those inclusions which looked like little blobs were bits of graphite, a form of pure carbon. These inclusions were often cut away by jewelers. But the latest study seems to contradict previous opinions, claiming that the inclusions in 38 diamonds represented a mix of minerals rich in metal and coated with graphite, also containing an alloy of nickel and iron.
The inclusions incorporated other substances like methane and hydrogen which suggested that in the past those imperfections consisted of a mixture of iron, sulfur, carbon, nickel and several trace elements. The new study was published on December 16 in Science magazine.
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