A new study from Australia has discovered that the two rarest types of diamonds in the world actually formed from… the remains of living organisms located 300-1,000 kilometers beneath the Earth’s surface.
According to a publication in Scientific Reports, there are three main types of diamonds on Earth.
The first is mantle diamonds, which form at depths of 150-250 kilometers from the Earth’s surface and are the most commonly used type of diamond. The other two types are ocean diamonds and ultra-deep continental diamonds, found in oceanic rock and continental rock that the Earth has inadvertently brought up from depths of 300-1,000 kilometers.
Deep diamonds in rough form. They are much more valuable than the rings you wear on your fingers – (Photo: THE CONVERSATION)
New analysis from a team of scientists led by geologist Luc Doucet from Curtin University (Australia) is based on a special carbon isotope found in the diamond core known as Delta13C. This core proves its organic origin. In other words, these gemstones are remnants of organisms that once lived!
According to Science Alert, this discovery changes many old notions about how the Earth operates. Clearly, deep within the Earth’s core exists a special microbial system, and our planet has transformed their remains into some of the most beautiful and precious creations that humanity cherishes in diamonds.
This type of deep diamond typically reaches the Earth’s surface through volcanic eruptions. Some of them return to the mantle and become the core of a larger inorganic diamond, meaning a deep diamond encased by a mantle diamond.
In recent years, some flawed deep diamonds have helped scientists decode their origins and formation, thanks to the impurities they inadvertently trapped during their formation.
