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<p clbad = "canvas-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "" The diamond is not a particularly rare mineral, "Roberta Rudnick, Ph.D., a professor of earth sciences at the University of California, Santa Barbara, tells Inverse Rudnick is part of the team behind the new study. "data-reactid =" 19 ">" The diamond is not a particularly rare mineral, "says Roberta Rudnick, Ph.D., professor of earth sciences at the university. University of California at Santa Barbara Inverse . Rudnick is part of the international team behind the new study.
She and her colleagues, gathered by the Cooperative Institute for Dynamic Earth Research (CIDER), discovered that there could be more than a quadrillion tons of diamonds scattered on Earth. , buried in slabs of ultra-deep rocks extending between the crust and mantle of the planet. These ancient, immovable rocks are known as cratonic roots, and the diamonds found there are 90 or 150 miles below the surface of the Earth.
<p clbad = "canvas-atom web-text Mb (1.0em) Mo (0) – -sm Mt (0.8em) – sm "type =" text "content =" Co-author and postdoctoral researcher from Harvard University Li Zeng, Ph. D. explains to Inverse that at the CIDER 2016 workshop, the collaboration's seismologists revealed a strange anomaly within the Earth. Seismologists study the sound waves, or l? seismic activity, to study earthquake-like events such as earthquakes, but these data can also help explain the content of the Earth's interior on sound waves that were moving unusually fast through the cratons. "data-reactid =" 21 "> Co-author and postdoctoral researcher at Harvard University Li Zeng, Ph.D. explains to Inverse that at the CIDER 2016 workshop, the seismologists of the collaboration revealed the evidence of a strange anomaly deep within the Earth. Seismologists study sound waves, or seismic activity, to study earthquake-like events such as earthquakes, but these data can also help explain the contents of the Earth's interior. This team has detected unusual sound waves moving through craters
There may be more than a quadrillion tons of hidden diamonds in the Earth's interior
. for this anomaly in seismic data, which led the team to construct a three-dimensional model of seismic wave velocities moving through the Earth's major cratons. By introducing various virtual rocks into the model, they calculated how fast the sound waves would move through these rocks.
Of all the original explanations, says Zeng, "the most fascinating was the possibility of diamonds – that there is a sweet spot under the conditions of pressure, temperature and oxidation-reduction for the growth and the maintaining the diamonds at this depth. "Indeed, the data revealed that this could be the case.
<p clbad =" web-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0 em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em – sm "type =" text "content =" "With the experimental results in hand, I started to calculate the expected sound speeds for continental cratons", Ulrich Faul, researcher at MIT, Ph.D., Inverse . He compared the experimental results to measurements made on real rocks in continents, and, through the process of elimination, "ends with diamonds as the only plausible and reasonable explanation in as a solution to this puzzle. "" data-reactid = "32"> "With the exp I began calculating the expected sound speeds for continental cratons, "says Ulrich Faul, Ph.D., researcher at MIT, Inverse . He compared the experimental results to measurements made on real rocks in continents, and, through the process of elimination, "was found with diamonds as the only plausible and reasonable explanation as a solution to this puzzle . "
It turns out that only one type of rock can produce the same velocity as that measured by seismologists: one that contains minor amounts of a coarse-grained rock called peridotite, includes a little oceanic crust, and is one to two percent of diamonds . This means that there are at least 1000 times more diamonds in the cratons than the scientists had previously estimated.
Diamonds are not as rare as one might think.
Faul says this discovery could affect our understanding of how continental cratons badembled and stabilized, which is an important step in understanding some of the oldest parts of the Earth. But, generally, the results add support to the ancient theories about the Earth's diamond treasures. While discoveries may change our perspective on diamond resources, Rudnick says, they do not significantly change our understanding of the planet. The idea that cratonic roots may contain two percent of diamond is in predictions based on global carbon estimates.
<p clbad = "canvas-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "" Although it s & # 39; 39, acts of a concentration of diamonds higher than what we could have expected from the rocks that have formed at these depths, it is not more than what the Earth can withstand . "Megan Duncan, Ph.D., co-author of the study and geochemist, tells Inverse :" We will not add much extra carbon to the Earth's overall budget. , but this has interesting implications for the processes of the ancient Earth. "" data-reactid = "45"> "Although there is a greater concentration of diamonds than what we could have done in the past. to wait according to the rocks that appeared from these depths. it is not more than the Earth can handle, "studies co-author and geochemist Megan Duncan, Ph.D., tells Inverse ." We will not be adding a lot of additional carbon to the overall budget of the Earth. This has interesting implications for early Earth processes, such as subduction, and how this may or may not have changed over time. "
Generalized scheme of a kimberlite pipe.
Unfortunately, we are probably not going to get access to these diamonds with a drill soon." The deepest hole ever drilled is about 7.5 miles deep – and these diamonds are over 10 times deeper. "We'll have to wait until they come back to the old fashion," says Duncan. "In the kimberlites. "
Kimberlites – igneous rock formed by cooling melted magma after deep volcanic eruptions – act as conveyor belts that bring deep-rooted diamonds closer to the surface of the Earth, often found on the edges of cratonic roots. , and most of the diamonds on the market come from kimberlite pipes that sample these regions of the mantle.Find these pipes is what is rare – not the diamonds themselves – so if a miner finds a pipe, then they can do it. he business.
<p clbad = "canvas-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – -sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = " Photos by MIT, University of Toronto / YouTube, Kansas Geological Survey, Flickr / Kim Alaniz "data-reactid =" 56 "> Photos via MIT, University of Toronto / YouTube, Geological Survey of Kansas, Flickr / Kim Alaniz
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