Where the world's largest diamonds are formed

New research by American scientists shows that the world's largest and most valuable diamonds formed in a lake of liquid metal deep below the Earth's mantle.

The largest and most beautiful diamonds lie deep beneath the Earth's crust. Illustration: Express.

A research team led by Evan Smith of the Gemological Institute of America discovered pure carbon crystalsform large diamond blocksin a lake of liquid metal beneath the Earth's mantle, according toThe study was published today in the journal Science.

Scientists studied 42 cut specimens of some of the world's largest diamonds, such as the Cullinan (3,106.75 carats) or the Lesotho Promise (603 carats). They found that these diamonds sometimes contained tiny metal inclusions, made up of a mixture of iron, nickel, carbon, sulfur, methane, and hydrogen.

Diamonds are formed in the Earth’s mantle and pushed to the surface by volcanic eruptions. The grit inside diamonds can help geologists understand the pressure, temperature, and chemical composition of the place where they were formed. Diamonds act as protective shells for the minerals inside, providing unique mineralogical samples and revealing environmental conditions miles below the surface.

Most diamonds are found at depths of about 145-241 km below the surface, but research by Smith and colleagues shows that supersized diamonds are concentrated at depths of up to 410-660 km.

According to VNE