The mystery of diamonds has been lingering for a long time researchers have now discovered the way diamonds appear on their place on the Earth.
Diamonds are created in the upper mantle layer of the Earth’s crust. If they don’t shoot towards the surface, which is known as Kimberlite eruptions. Humans will not be able to locate them.
The eruption is made up of rock, water carbon dioxide, and a variety of important kimberlite minerals – which include diamonds, reaching the surface as often referred to as a ‘fountain of diamonds’. It could travel up to the speed of 83 miles per hour.
It has for a long time was a mystery as to the reason behind this “fountain of Diamonds“, and now researchers at Southampton University University of Southampton, UK have finally found the answer.
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After conducting studies, the researchers concluded that the eruptions happen as a result of the major geological event which plates of tectonics are separated.
One of these events occurred in the year 1850 when the continent Gondwana was split in two parts around 1800 million years back. This resulted in the formation of South America and Africa as and sparked a series of diamond eruptions about 25 million years afterward.According to scientists, when plates of the tectonics shift, the rock within the mantle upper as well as lower crust mix and flows against each and causing similar eruptions. After studying the data, scientists discovered that the ‘fountains of diamonds occur every 22-30 million years.In announcing the findings,
Professor of Earth and Climate Science at the University of Southampton Thomas Gernon explained that they’re looking to discover new and yet unexplored diamond deposits.
“The diamonds have been sat at the base of the continents for hundreds of millions or even billions of years. There must be some stimulus that just drives them suddenly because these eruptions themselves are really powerful, really explosive,” He told LiveScience.This data can also help explain why other kinds of eruptions that are more frequent after breakup of the supercontinent in different regions, are generally stable.
“It’s a fundamental and highly organized physical process, so it’s likely not just kimberlites responding to it, but it could be a whole array of Earth system processes that are responding to this as well,” He explained.
According to the website of the university The research team “used statistical analysis, including machine learning, to forensically examine the link between continental breakup and kimberlite volcanism”.
Additionally senior research fellow Dr Thea Hincks explained, “Using geospatial analysis, we found that kimberlite eruptions tend to gradually migrate from the continental edges to the interiors over time at rates that are consistent across the continents.”
