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Strange Rock from Russia Contains 30,000 Diamonds

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Strange Rock from Russia Contains 30,000 Diamonds


by Becky Oskin, Senior Writer | December 16, 2014


49154-diamond-rich-rock-russia.html

Udachnaya-rock-141216.jpg
This rock from Russia's Udachnaya mine contains 30,000 diamonds.
Credit: Larry Taylor View full size image
SAN FRANCISCO — Here's the perfect Christmas gift for the person who has everything: A red and green rock, ornament-sized, stuffed with 30,000 teeny-tiny diamonds.


The sparkly chunk was pulled from Russia's huge Udachnaya diamond mine and donated to science (the diamonds' tiny size means they're worthless as gems). It was a lucky break for researchers, because the diamond-rich rock is a rare find in many ways, scientists reported Monday (Dec. 15) at the American Geophysical Union's annual meeting.
"The exciting thing for me is there are 30,000 itty-bitty, perfect octahedrons, and not one big diamond," said Larry Taylor, a geologist at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, who presented the findings. "It's like they formed instantaneously."


The concentration of diamonds in the rock is millions of times greater than that in typical diamond ore, which averages 1 to 6 carats per ton, Taylor said. A carat is a unit of weight (not size), and is roughly equal to one-fifth of a gram, or 0.007 ounces. [Sinister Sparkle Gallery: 13 Mysterious & Cursed Gemstones]
The astonishing amount of diamonds, and the rock's unusual Christmas coloring, will provide important clues to Earth's geologic history as well as the origin of these prized gemstones, Taylor said. "The associations of minerals will tell us something about the genesis of this rock, which is a strange one indeed," he said.


Although diamonds have been desired for centuries, and are now understood well enough to be recreated in a lab, their natural origins are still a mystery.


"The [chemical] reactions in which diamonds occur still remain an enigma," Taylor told Live Science.


Scientists think diamonds are born deep below Earth's surface, in the layer between the crust and core called the mantle. Explosive volcanic eruptions then carry hunks of diamond-rich mantle to the surface. However, most mantle rocks disintegrate during the trip, leaving only loose crystals at the surface. The Udachnaya rock is one of the rare nuggets that survived the rocketing ride.


Taylor works with researchers at the Russian Academy of Sciences to study Udachnaya diamonds. The scientists first probed the entire rock with an industrial X-ray tomography scanner, which is similar to a medical CT scanner but capable of higher X-ray intensities. Different minerals glow in different colors in the X-ray images, with diamonds appearing black.
The thousands upon thousands of diamonds in the rock cluster together in a tight band. The clear crystals are just 0.04 inches (1 millimeter) tall and are octahedral, meaning they are shaped like two pyramids that are glued together at the base. The rest of the rock is speckled with larger crystals of red garnet, and green olivine and pyroxene. Minerals called sulfides round out the mix. A 3D model built from the X-rays revealed the diamonds formed after the garnet, olivine and pyroxene minerals.


Exotic materials captured inside diamonds, in tiny capsules called inclusions, can also provide hints as to how they were made. The researchers beamed electrons into the inclusions to identify the chemicals trapped inside. The chemicals included carbonate, a common mineral in limestone and seashells, as well as garnet.


Altogether, the findings suggest the diamonds crystallized from fluids that escaped from subducted oceanic crust, likely composed of a dense rock called peridotite, Taylor reported Monday. Subduction is when one of Earth's tectonic plates crumples under another plate. The results will be published in a special issue of Russian Geology and Geophysics next month (January 2015), Taylor said.


The unusual chemistry would represent a rare case among diamonds, said Sami Mikhail, a researcher at the Carnegie Institution for Science in Washington, D.C., who was not involved in the study. However, Mikhail offered another explanation for the unusual chemistry. "[The source] could be just a really, really old formation that's been down in the mantle for a long time," he said.

Strange Rock from Russia Contains 30,000 Diamonds
 
Vladimir Putin took part in the World Diamond Conference in Delhi

Coincidence!

Vladimir Putin took part in the World Diamond Conference.

PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA VLADIMIR PUTIN: Mr Prime Minister, ladies and gentlemen,
Delhi is hosting the World Diamond Conference today. This is the first of its kind, and this is definitely the first time I am attending such an event. Honestly, when I looked into the hall as I came here I was somewhat surprised to see that the only person who seems to have anything to do with diamond extraction and processing is our wonderful hostess. The others seem to be dressed too modestly for people who deal with diamonds. However, the industry is obviously very important for many countries, including India and Russia.
India has always been famous for its jewellers and skilled diamond cutters: their produce has always been highly valued all over the world. Some of the most famous diamonds in the history of Russia also have Indian connection. This is the Orlov diamond that decorates the sceptre of our Empress Catherine the Great, and the Shah diamond given to Emperor Nicholas I by the Persian ruler. These diamonds of Indian origin are the pride of the Russian Diamond Fund in the Kremlin.
Up to this day India retains the status of a major diamond-cutting nation. As we have heard, it accounts for over 65 percent of annual world diamond production.
Diamond extraction is also very important in Russia. We have the largest unique reserves of this mineral. They are now assessed at over a billion carat. We confidently rank first in the world here.
I would like to note that Russia has always maintained a responsible approach to regulating international business in this area and is advocating maximum openness in cooperation, including within the Kimberley process.
The Russian company ALROSA that accounts for 99 percent of diamond extraction in Russia supplies up to a quarter of world rough diamond exports. Other Russian companies are also getting involved in this business, including some completely private companies: they are making serious investment into their major projects.
Almost 50 percent of Russian-extracted diamonds goes to India or to companies controlled by Indian capital. Considering the serious volume of these diamond deals, it is worthwhile developing some more advanced cooperation arrangements and establishing closer cooperation between countries. Thus, we are inviting our colleagues to cut diamonds on the territory of the Russian Federation.
Together with Mr Modi we discussed all of this in great detail and gave instructions to corresponding agencies to enhance the efficiency of the diamond business for our countries as much as possible. We are sending the same message to business representatives. To make cooperation more effective, we need to create favourable conditions, establish special administrative and customs procedures, improve these procedures, create better opportunities and enhance the level of security. We are ready for joint productive work in this area.
Friends,
The World Diamond Conference has attracted a lot of interest. I am certain that this representative forum will become a good tradition. Allow me to wish all its participants fruitful work and all the best.
Thank you for your attention.
 
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