Diamonds are formed in the magma that is present deep inside the Earth. Then how do they get to the surface of the planet to a depth where miners can easily harvest them? That is what the researchers at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver tried to find out.
The team of scientists at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver carried out a series of high-temperature experiments. This included melting powders matching the minerals that they suspected gave rise to kimberlites at temperatures of up to 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
Kimberlites are dense in crystals and sometimes have diamonds as well. They are formed in the core of the planet and then ascend rather rapidly towards the surface. The research shows that they do so by jettisoning weight.
Kelly Russell, a volcanologist at the University of British Columbia and the lead researcher in the project said that the volcanic process that carried the diamonds up to the Earth’s surface took less than two days to bring the gems up from the depths of 120 km.
The research shows that rocks with diamonds are picked up by hot and foaming molten rock that is going up to the surface. The diamonds hitch a ride in the molten magma, much like a client would use a taxi, to get to the surface of the planet.