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Why haven't there been reports of diamonds in kimberlite pipe rocks?
Diamonds are found as loose stones, or can be embedded in other materials, including kimberlite. See the linked photo, below.
Are most most diamonds formed inside kimberlite?
All diamonds are formed from carbon. Kimberlite and diamonds are both erupted to the earth's surface via volcanic pipes. Kimberlite is an indicator mineral, increasing odds for geologists that a volcanic pipe includes diamonds: not all pipes erupt diamonds with kimberlite. Kimberlite can be considered a 'neighbor' or 'kin' of diamond, but not a source.
What is the definition of kimberlite pipe?
potassic volcanic rock best known for sometimes containing diamonds
Why kimberlite might be found in diamonds?
Kimberlite is the natural structure within which diamonds are found (kimberlite "pipe"). A Kimberlite pipe is the normal underground site(s) of a diamond bearing geologic formation.Another AnswerKimberlite is a mineral, called a trace mineral, because in one out of 200 cases, when kimberlite is found, diamonds are also found. Why? Because the geological processes required to form diamonds also forms kimberlite, which is a 'potassic volcanic rock' according to Wikipedia.
What is a craton and what is a kimberlite pipe and how are they linked to the discovery of the diamond?
A craton is 'an old and stable part of the lithosphere' -- the earth's crust. One class of inclusions in the formation of the earth's crust when subductions of crust were folded into the deep, kimberlite diamond areas that lie about 150-450 K below the surface. Diamonds as we know them are exploded to the earth's surface through kimberlite pipes, which are carrot shaped and widest at the surface. Although not all kimberlite pipes are sources for diamonds, most diamonds are found in areas where kimberlite pipes occur.
How are Diamonds located?
Visually, there are trace minerals that indicate a volcanic pipe, which might contain diamonds. The trace minerals include kimberlite, and only one kimberlite pipe in 200 yields gem-quality diamonds. You can read more, below.
What are the occurrences of a diamond?
Diamonds are formed deep within the Earth's mantle under high pressure and temperature conditions. They are brought to the Earth's surface through volcanic eruptions in rock formations known as kimberlite or lamproite pipes. Diamonds can also be found in alluvial deposits, where they have been eroded from these primary sources and carried by rivers and streams.
Where can I find a map of kimberlite pipes in the USA?
You can find a map of kimberlite pipes in the USA through geological surveys or research institutions that specialize in diamond exploration and mining. These organizations may have publicly available maps or data on kimberlite pipe locations.
What is an event that must occur in order for diamonds to reach Earth's surface?
'Allow' means to make possible, so you could say that erosion allows diamonds to reach the earth's surface. But it's more interesting than that. Diamonds are formed deep within the earth's mantle and are erupted to the surface -- or near the surface to account for erosion, as above -- by volcanic pipes.
What are alluvial diamonds?
Alluvial diamonds are those found under water having been washed away from the volcanic pipe where they erupted from the earth's mantle by flowing water. You can find alluvial diamonds in riverbeds or in the sea.
How are diamonds extracted from Kimberlite?
Diamonds ascend to the Earth's surface in rare molten rock, or magma that originates at great depths. Carrying diamonds and other samples from Earth's mantle, this magma rises and erupts in small but violent volcanoes. Just beneath such volcanoes is a carrot-shaped "pipe" filled with volcanic rock, mantle fragments, and some embedded diamonds. The rock is called kimberlite after the city of Kimberley, South Africa, where the pipes were first discovered in the 1870s. Another rock that provides diamonds is lamproite. The extraction process can take place at the mine site, where the excavated material is washed and tumbled. Because diamond is heaviest of all the materials mined, it falls to the bottom and is otherwise sorted from the mined materials.
How can diamonds form at river beds?
Diamonds don't 'form' in river beds or in the sea bed where some are found. Diamonds are propelled into river beds and to the sea by water that flows over the kimberlite pipe where the diamonds are formed.Diamonds found in water are generally referred to as alluvial stones, meaning deposited in the water over a long period.
