Scientists reveal how world’s biggest diamonds form

Washington, Dec 18: Scientists have claimed to figured out how the world’s biggest and most-valuable diamonds formed, media reported on Sunday. In a study, the scientists said large gem-quality diamonds, like the world-famous Cullin or Lesotho Promise, may be born in metallic liquid deep inside the Earth’s mantle, Xinhua news agency reported. The research team, led by Evan Smith of the Gemological Institute of America, reached the conclusion after examining so-called “offcuts” of massive diamonds, which are the pieces left over after the gem’s facets are cut for maximum sparkle. They found tiny metallic grains trapped inside in more than 30 exceptiolly large stones, which are made up of a mixture of metallic iron and nickel, along with carbon, sulfur, methane, and hydrogen. These inclusions led the researchers to conclude that these diamonds formed, like all diamonds, in the Earth’s mantle, but they did so under conditions in which they were saturated by liquid metal. (IANS)