Mystery solved: Diamonds’ path to Earth’s surface finally explained

To the jewelry have always been a symbol of wealth, demonstrating a high social status. Along with gems, precious metals play a fundamental role in this regard.

Even though we know that these materials are extracted from deep within mines, the true story of their formation and journey to the surface remains a mystery. mystery For many.

Those who have enough money will go to shopping malls or jewelry stores to secure these precious gems. However, behind these glittering displays lies the meticulous work of goldsmiths, who take the raw materials into their hands and transform them into true treasures.

However, for geologists, the formation of diamonds still remains an enigma to be solved. Their journey, from their formation to their arrival on the Earth’s surface, remains full of unfathomable secrets, challenging our understanding to this day.

How do diamonds emerge from deep within the Earth?

It is known that diamonds are generated under high pressure, at a depth of 160 kilometers below the Earth’s surface. The carbon atoms group together in a peculiar way in the Diamondan allotrope of this element, in which they adopt a face-centered cubic crystal structure.

In this sense, scientists have focused their studies on identifying the places where these precious gems can be found. Diamonds are typically found immersed in kimberlite, a type of volcanic igneous rock rich in potassium.

When do they occur? volcanic eruptionsone of the various substances released to the Earth’s surface is kimberlite, which contains diamonds inside.

Using supercomputers at the National Computational Infrastructure (NCI) in Canberra, a team of researchers from the University of Wollongong has come up with a compelling explanation that puts an end to the mystery of how diamonds rise to the Earth’s surface.

A simulation carried out on a supercomputer has managed to impressively recreate the volcanic activity of kimberlite over the last 200 million years.

This study was published in the prestigious journal Nature Geoscience and is already recognized as a significant milestone for geology.

“We calculated the upward movements of heat from the core and found that broad mantle updrafts, or ‘heat pillars’, connect the Earth very deep to the surface.”scientists say.

“Our model shows that these pillars provide heat beneath the kimberlites and explain most of the eruptions over the past 200 million years.”they add.