Question: How diamonds are formed in the manta and how they reach the surface?

Keywords: , ,

  1. Diamonds form inside the earth in the mantle at very high pressures and temperatures. Diamonds usually form about 90 miles (150 km) below the surface and temperatures are about 1000 ˚C (2000˚F).

    Diamonds are then transported to the surface by volcanic eruptions that start really deep within the mantle called Kimberlites. These come from much deeper than where the diamonds form and pick up the diamonds on their way to the surface.

    1

  2. Rhian is right. Diamonds appear in rocks called kimberlites, which are igneous ultramafic rocks (meaning that the have not much silica, and are composed basically of olivine). They formed pretty deep and are dragged into volcanic eruptions. Diamond requires a lot lot lot of pressure to form. In fact, the composition is pretty simple, pure carbon, like the graphite of your pencil. However, applying that pressure is only possible in nature into the deep mantle (wtih about 150 to 400 km of rock on top. It is also possible to do artificial ones, but it is still an expensive technique.

    1

Comments