Diamonds are made out of carbon — highly organized carbon, that is. Geologists are still guessing how diamonds formed in the Earth from 1 billion to 3 billion years ago.
00:04For decades, diamonds have been linked to romance and marriage, but how are they made?
00:09They start out not as coal, but as a form of carbon, the building block for all life on Earth.
00:15But to become a diamond, carbon undergoes an incredible transformation under very extreme conditions.
00:21Naturally occurring diamonds formed deep in the Earth between one billion and three billion years ago,
00:26and geologists say the recipe when something like this.
00:29Step one, bury carbon dioxide in Earth's mantle about 100 miles underground.
00:35Step two, apply heat to around 2,200 degrees Fahrenheit.
00:40Step three, add incredible pressure about 725,000 pounds per square inch.
00:47And finally, step four, quickly rush towards Earth's surface to cool.
00:51Ancient volcanic eruptions billions of years ago are thought to be responsible for transporting most of the diamonds found today.
00:58All that sounds hard to replicate, but diamonds can also be made in a laboratory.
01:03In one method, tiny anvils squeeze down on graphite as intense electricity zaps it, producing gem-quality diamonds in just a few days.
01:12Another uses a diamond-growing vacuum chamber, seeding a diamond kernel with deposits from gases, gradually building it up to form a perfect gem.
01:21To the naked eye, today's synthetic diamonds closely match the color and brilliance of the diamonds shaped deep underground billions of years ago.
01:28How diamonds are made, just one of life's little mysteries.
01:32You, you, you, you?
01:33You, you, you, you, you, you've got access.
01:34Ah wow, dad!
01:35You dead.
01:36Ah wow, dad allowed us to say.
01:37Ah wow, dad!
01:38Ed, two days less so!
01:39A good one.
01:40Don't you see, boys?
01:41Oh, уров?
01:42Oh.
01:43Oh, my boy, always!
01:44Uh wow, I had a good one and this guy's gonna take that changer.
01:45Yeah?
01:46IRfreiers!
01:47It all does lead me, too, sorry, easy to go toakenimy.
Be the first to comment