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Under our feet, there is a huge treasure: more than a million tons of diamonds are under the surface of the Earth, according to researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). But do not expect a diamond rush: the massive treasure is between 145 and 240 kilometers below the surface of the planet, well beyond the distances traveled today
"We do not We can not reach them, we thought, "said Ulrich Faul, a researcher at the Department of Planetary, Atmospheric and Earth Sciences at MIT." This shows that the diamond may not be this exotic mineral. On the scale of things, it is relatively common, "he added.
Using seismology to analyze how sound waves cross the Earth, researchers have detected this treasure in rocks called craters, which are The project began when scientists were surprised by the observations that sound waves were accelerating significantly through the roots of old craters.
They then assembled rocks virtual, made of several combinations of ores to calculate the speed at which the sound waves passed through them. "The diamond, in many ways, is special," says Faul. "One of its properties is that its speed of sound is two times faster than in the dominant ore in the upper mantle rocks, olivine. "
Scientists then discovered that the only type of rock that matched at speeds detected in the craton contained 1 to 2% of diamonds. Researchers now believe that old underground stones contain at least 1,000 times more diamonds than previously thought. These precious stones are however not close to appear in jewelry.
Made of carbon, diamonds are formed under extreme pressure and extreme temperature in the deepest part of the Earth and emerge only through volcanic eruptions. rarely.
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