Diamonds can be created through both geologic forces and man-made processes. However they are made diamonds have many uses. In the first part of this essay we will look at the geologic forces involved in the making of a diamond. Next we will examine the man-made processes. In closing we will take a brief look at the many uses of diamonds.
As we begin to look at how diamonds are formed it’s important to understand a little about the composition. Graphite which is used for pencil lead and a lubricant is pure carbon just like a diamond. So the hardest mineral and one of the softest share the same composition. The difference is in the bonding. Diamonds have covalent bonds that form a three dimensional structure. Graphite also has covalent bonds that form together in sheets with much weaker electrostatic bonds. These bonds also known as van der Waals bonds are what makes graphite so soft (Charles C Plummer).
Natural diamonds are formed at both a high pressure and temperature at depths of 140 to 190 kilometers (87 to 120 miles) in the Earth’s mantle. Minerals that contain carbon provide the carbon source and growth periods occur from 1 billion to 3.3 billion years. This is a significant number that represents twenty five to seventy five percent of the age of the earth. The diamonds are moved close to the Earth’s surface through deep volcanic eruptions of magma (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diamondwikipedia).
Now let’s take a closer look at the processes which move diamonds from deep within the earth to a place closer to the surface, where they can be mined. Gas-rich magmas otherwise known as molten rock, force their way up from the mantle and erupt explosively at the surface. Sometimes during this process they swee...
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...al essay and that it opened your eyes to other uses of diamonds. It can also instill a since of awe when you think about the incredible amount of time earth made diamonds take to form. It is also interesting that like watching bird fly and copying flight, we found ways to duplicate the earth’s processes.
Works Cited
(http://www.nhm.ac.uk/nature-online/earth/rock-minerals/diamonds/diamond-formation. n.d.
AuthorLastName, FirstName. Title of the Book Being Referenced. City Name: Name of Publisher, Year. Type of Medium (e.g. Print).
Charles C Plummer, Diane H. Carlson,Lisa Hammersky. "Physical Geology 14th edition." n.d. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diamondwikipedia. n.d. http://geology.com/articles/diamonds-from-coal/. n.d. http://literary-devices.com/. 2010. 12 September 2013.
LastName, First, Middle. "Article Title." Journal Title (Year): Pages From - To. Print.
AuthorLastName, FirstName. Title of the Book Being Referenced. City Name: Name of Publisher, Year. Type of Medium (e.g. Print).
Author’s last name, first name. “Title of Online Article.” Title of Online Publication Version (Year Published): Pages. Date Accessed .
Analysis Introduction This project belongs in the engineering-efficiency category; therefore, it has to fit at least 3 of 4 performance hurdles, which are 1. Impact on EPS; 2.Payback; 3.Discounted cash flow and 4. Internal rate of return. In this article, some of those involved explained and described their opinions; however, professional knowledge may have been lacking.
Lastname, Firstname. Title of Book. City of Publication: Publisher, Year of Publication. Medium of Publication.
A beautiful precious diamond can last forever, but what most people do not know is that a majority of our diamonds come from Africa. The civil wars in Africa over diamonds began around 1961 and ended in 2003. Conflict diamonds were rampant and it would be difficult to say if any jewelry sold prior to 2003 was conflict free. Conflict diamonds are diamonds that have been mined and were controlled by African rebels. The rebels would use the profits from selling conflict diamonds to fund illegal activity and to purchase more weapons for their armies. While rebels had control of the diamond mines they killed approximately 4 million people and countless families were displaced.
It’s hard to imagine that a mineral could be fueling wars and funding corrupt governments. This mineral can be smuggled undetected across countries in a coat pocket, then be sold for vast amounts of money. This mineral is used in power tools, parts of x-ray machines, and microchips but mostly jewelry. Once considered the ultimate symbol of love, the diamond has a darker story. "Blood" diamonds or "conflict" diamonds are those mined, polished, or traded in areas of the world where the rule of law does not exist. They often originate in war-torn countries like Liberia, Sierra Leone, Angola, and Côte d'Ivoire were rebels use these gems to fund genocide or other questionable objectives. Even with a system known as the Kimberly process which tracks diamonds to prevent trade of these illicit gems, infractions continue as the process is seriously flawed. The continuation of the blood diamond trade is inhuman, and unethical, and in order to cease this illicit trade further action to redefine a conflict diamond, as well as reform to the diamond certification prosess is nessasary.
Minerals play an important role in our day-to-day life but we often not contemplate how the minerals are obtained. Minerals are scattered all over the world just like any other resources. Due to the natural processes of magma flow, hydrothermal gradients, sedimentation, and evaporation, Minerals are concentrated in various areas of the Earth’s crust. Obtaining these minerals for human use involves four general steps:
2. When quoting you should always include the name of the author and the page number after each quote.
One very important piece of information is that gemstones and crystals are grown during the cooling, formative stages of Earth’s development and so it has lead me to the conclusion that they are gifts from nature. According to physics, gemstones and crystals consist of natural balances and solid sta...
For the past sixty-seven years, the citizens of India have embraced their country’s independence all the while seeking to regain their past. Prior to this renewed sense of freedom, India had belonged to the British Empire. From 1858 to 1947, the British government claimed India and its inhabitants as a colonial possession. Before the British Empire laid claim to the vastness of India, the British East India Company helped to oversee the transfer of the Kohinoor Diamond from the Sikh Empire to their motherland in 1851.
"Sedimentary Rocks and the Rock Cycle." South Carolina Geological Survey, n.d. Web. 2 Dec. 2013.
Scientists can tell how old something is based on the amount of carbon 14 in a dead object. Carbon dating is accurate if the amount of carbon 14 in the atmosphere remains the same throughout time. The second is if carbon 14 has always decayed at the same speed, and the last is if all living things absorb the same amount of carbon as the atmosphere has in it ("Child Evangelism of Hawaii"). Diamonds are formed when carbon is under a large amount of pressure and heat. When diamonds come from the ground, they don't look shiny.
Igneous rocks are formed from the ejection of earth’s volcanoes. Deep down inside earth’s mantle there lies hot magma. Magma is molten rock that is kept below the surface. This mixture is usually made up of four parts: a hot liquid substance which is called the melt; minerals that have been crystallized by the melt; solid rocks that have made themselves tangled in the melt because of loose materials, and finally gases that have become liquid. Magma is created by an increase in temperatures, pressure change, and a alter in composition. When this magma is ejected from earth’s crust it earns a new name called lava. The lava hardens and becomes an Igneous rock.
Mining is the process or industry of obtaining minerals from the earth. Topics in this paper I’ll be specifically discussing are pros and cons of mining, structures of a mine, mining in general, California gold rush, diamonds in Africa, and comparison of diamond and gold mines.