How Are Diamonds Formed?



Posted: Friday, January 05, 2007

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Just how are diamonds formed? You probably remember from grade school something to the effect that diamonds are formed primarily by intense pressure over long periods of time. That's basically it, but there are a lot more interesting tidbits we can learn by examining the formation of diamonds a bit further.

Diamonds are formed when enough pressure is produced ninety miles under the earth's surface, along with temperatures of

2200 degrees Fahrenheit. Without these particular conditions, diamonds can't be formed. You've probably heard of synthetic diamonds, made in the laboratory by duplicating these conditions, however, for diamonds to be formed in the earth those are the conditions necessary. In technical terms, the pressure needed to produce a diamond is 5 gigapascals.

Diamonds are formed deep within the earth and eventually, over extremely long periods of time push their way to the earth's surface, usually through volcanic eruptions. The age of these diamonds from beneath the surface of the earth are from 1 to 3.3 billion years old, though I cannot personally verify that from experience! There are other conditions when diamonds are newer and don't follow this script, such as when meteors plow into the earth and cause similar pressure and heat. These are called nanodiamonds, or microdiamonds.

When diamonds are formed and begin their ascent to the earth's surface, they do this through what are know as volcanic "pipes", literally channels where the magma from the volcano rises to the surface, picking up diamonds along the way and eventually depositing them on the surface, where they are eventually found and mined. Because of this laborious, natural process diamonds have always been a rare and precious commodity, used for both adornment and later, for industry.

So the next time you venture into a jewelry store and gaze at that incredible diamond ring, (assuming it's a real one!) you'll have a better appreciation of just what it took to find it's way onto your finger!

Keith Thompson is a diamond devotee and owner of www.diamondstoday.info. For more information on diamond formation please visit today!

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