Geochemists at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) have discovered a mineral entrapped in a diamond. The mineral was said to have traveled 410 miles from the earth’s mantle to the earth's surface.
This incident is the first ever reported discovery that is in relation with the minerals in the earth’s mantle. This is because minerals from the mantle eventually are destroyed on their way up to the earth’s surface.
Oliver Tschauner, a UNLV meteorologist stated that, “For jewelers and buyers, the size, color, and clarity of a diamond all matter, and inclusions — those black specks that annoy the jeweler — for us, they’re a gift. I think we were very surprised. We didn’t expect this.”
It is estimated that the diamond had already arrived on the earth’s surface years before it was discovered in the Republic of Botswana in the Orapa mine.
Image Credit: UNLV News
#minerals #science #diamond #earthscience