[QUOTE]When Russian miners pulled a strange red and green stone out of the ground, they immediately knew it was different to the thousands of tons of ore they process every day.
In fact, what workers at Alrosa's Udachnaya diamond mine had unearthed was a 30mm rock that contained 30,000 diamonds - a conentration 1m times higher than normal.
However, despite the rare find the company donated the rock to the Russian Academy of Sciences, as the diamonds are so small that they cannot be used as gems.
After scanning the rock with X-rays, scientists found that the diamonds inside measure just 1mm and are octahedral in shape - similar to two pyramids stuck together at the base. The red and green colouring comes from larger crystals of garnet, olivine and pyroxene.
"The exciting thing for me is there are 30,000 itty-bitty, perfect octahedrons, and not one big diamond," said Larry Taylor, a geologist at the University of Tennessee, who presented the findings at the American Geophysical Union's annual meeting. "It's like they formed instantaneously. This rock is a strange one indeed."
Scientists are excited at the finding as they hope it will shed further light on how diamonds are made. They know diamonds are crystals of pure carbon that form under crushing pressures and intense heat, mostly formed in the Earth's mantle, the layer beneath the crust or surface layer, at a depth of about 150km. However, certain processes in their creation remain a mystery.
"The [chemical] reactions in which diamonds occur still remain an enigma," Mr Taylor told Live Science, which first reported the story.
Mr Taylor works with researchers at the Russian Academy of Sciences to study Udachnaya diamonds.[/QUOTE]
[url]http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/industry/mining/11299776/Strange-rock-containing-30000-diamonds-baffles-scientists.html[/url]
The rock isn't as pretty as I imagined, but that's pretty damn cool. It also makes me wonder how many super-rare rocks like these are just laying on the surface somewhere that nobody ever picks up because nobody knows they are special.
To be honest, I'd walk right past it considering it's quite ugly.
I.. have a rock like that in my rock collection.
[QUOTE=Korova;46739215]To be honest, I'd walk right past it considering it's quite ugly.[/QUOTE]
It probably sparkles quite a bit though.
Use it to bolster the economy.
Hardly the Koh-i-Noor, but still a fancy find. Then again comparing this stone to the Mountain of Light is probably like comparing Hershey's to Lindt, not much of a contest.
[QUOTE=Emperor Scorpious II;46739298]It probably sparkles quite a bit though.[/QUOTE]
If you go through a couple rocks, I'm sure you could find something that sparkles more from the outside. Rocks are weird. The things that looks cool aren't worth anything and the things that are worth anything look like normal rocks.
[QUOTE=Korova;46739468]If you go through a couple rocks, I'm sure you could find something that sparkles more from the outside. Rocks are weird. The things that looks cool aren't worth anything and the things that are worth anything look like normal rocks.[/QUOTE]
Even the shittiest rocks look kinda cool if you look at thin sections of them. Most rocks are pretty good lookin anyway
Half expected Dwayne Johnson.
[QUOTE=Hunterdnrc;46739822]Half expected Dwayne Johnson.[/QUOTE]
Who wouldn't be awed by the most electrifying man in sports entertainment?
What I find interesting about this is these are like little perfect diamond seeds, and while we can grow diamonds, we still poorly understand the geological processes that make them
It literally looks like a turd.
[QUOTE=GoldenDargon;46740073]It literally looks like a turd.[/QUOTE]
A diamond encrusted one though
Time to dig through every rock I see.
Minecraft in a nutshell. Dig through a stone and dirt to find some diamonds.
[highlight](User was banned for this post ("why reply" - Orkel))[/highlight]
[QUOTE=antianan;46740653]Minecraft in a nutshell. Dig through a stone and dirt to find some diamonds.[/QUOTE]
also real life
[QUOTE=Sableye;46740117]A diamond encrusted one though[/QUOTE]
Literally shit diamonds.
Here we are discussing rocks while we float in circles on one around a giant hydrogen fireball with very little in the way of getting onto another rock.
all i wanna know is who counted them all?
Too bad diamonds are pretty much worthless anyway. v:v:v
It's the Arkenstone!
No wait it's just a polished turd.
It's a christmas miracle.
[QUOTE=Mr. Someguy;46739180]The rock isn't as pretty as I imagined, but that's pretty damn cool. It also makes me wonder how many super-rare rocks like these are just laying on the surface somewhere that nobody ever picks up because nobody knows they are special.[/QUOTE]
As far as I know diamonds have to be cut and polished to be made to look good. This is why you might start with an 3 carat stone but after it's be worked on you have a 1 carat gem. So don't be surprised if diamonds straight out of the ground look nondescript.
it's a christmas rock!
[QUOTE=cecilbdemodded;46744533]As far as I know diamonds have to be cut and polished to be made to look good. This is why you might start with an 3 carat stone but after it's be worked on you have a 1 carat gem. So don't be surprised if diamonds straight out of the ground look nondescript.[/QUOTE]
They literally look like bits of broken glass:
[t]http://i01.i.aliimg.com/photo/v0/103349695/ROUGH_UNCUT_DIAMONDS.jpg[/t]
Sorry, you need to Log In to post a reply to this thread.
