Diamond Formation
The largest diamond mine in the world is the Jubilee diamond mine in Russia. It is owned and operated by the Aikhal mining division of ALROSA, a state owned company. Jubilee is a gigantic open pit diamond mine, and it operates at depths of 320 meters underground. In 2012 alone, the Jubilee mine produced over 10 million carats of ore, and is estimated to contain over 150 million carats of recoverable diamonds, with a significant portion of them being housed in the underground reserves. What is it that made this location in Russia such a prime location for some of the world’s most incredible precious gems? That all has to do with the environment in which diamonds are formed. Some parts of the world are more conducive to this process than others.
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As we know, more than anything, diamonds need intense pressure and intense heat in order to form. It also worth considering that coal itself is not just one standard formula – there are all kinds of types of coal. Depending on its source materials, it can contain various levels of mercury and organic materials from dead and decaying organisms, in addition to moisture.
A common misconception is that diamonds are formed from coal. However, Earth’s diamond deposits are often dated to be far older than the source material of coal, the first land plates on planet Earth. Diamonds are pretty much pure carbon, and while coal is primarily composed of carbon as well, it also contains tons of other elements. Pressure is not enough to take all of that out of the coal; there are fundamental changes that need to occur, and which rarely occur, in order to create a diamond out of coal.
One of the ways in which diamonds form are deep in the earth’s mantle, and are delivered to the surface by volcanic eruptions further underground. Diamonds are eroded from deposits of kimberlite and lamporite, and are contained in the sedimentary streams and coastlines. There are also traces of diamonds found in the deep sea, where the pressure of plate tectonics have created very small diamonds. Diamonds have even been found to exist in very small amounts and sizes inside meteorites, where no coal has been formed – just pure elemental carbon. This is yet another fact that gives credence to the theory that coal cannot produce pure carbon, despite the sayings we have heard all of our lives.