Looking for the location of diamonds

2010/07/20 Aulestiarte Lete, Izaro - Elhuyar Zientziaren Komunikazioa

• Geologia

An international geophysical team has created a map that can help predict the location of diamonds around the world. This is a first image of this type, which has been elaborated taking into account both the superficial geological processes of the Earth and the dynamics that are given in the deep interior of the planet.

According to the geophysics of the University of Oslo, this image will provide scientists with interesting information about the functioning of our planet, in addition to being a useful tool for finding diamonds.

The researchers have recently confirmed that the location of diamonds on the terrestrial surface depends on what the columns that rise from the mantle have, with the molten material. That is, diamonds are formed in situations of high pressure, in the mantle of the Earth, more than 150 kilometers deep. And they usually bloom with quinberlites (volcanic diamond rocks). Thus, the geophysics have affirmed that, knowing the situation of the narrow feathers or columns rising from the mantle, one can also know where most quinberlites and diamonds are found.

To reach this conclusion, the research has focused on the oldest continental zones of the terrestrial surface and has rebuilt the position of tectonic plates in the last 540 million years. Thus, they have found that 80% of the quinberlites emerged in the area where the columns were formed. As seen on the map, one of these areas is located in Africa, rich in diamonds.

Image: Image: University of Oslo.