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I think the article contradicts itself. If you think of coal as the stuff you put in your barbecue, then yeah, that's not what makes diamonds. But it IS forme
by wccrawford 15y ago
I think the article contradicts itself.
If you think of coal as the stuff you put in your barbecue, then yeah, that's not what makes diamonds.
But it IS formed from carbon atoms that are put under intense heat and pressure.
- sliverstorm 15y agoYeah, I was looking for the part where it actually explained what happened. It read something like: "Diamonds are not made from coal under intense heat and pressure. They are made on top of the magma a hundred to two hundred kilometers below the surface" So... you're telling me magma is not immensely hot, and two hundred kilometers of crust is not really heavy?
- ErikRogneby 15y agoCompaction of coal in to a denser form of carbon is quite different from the crystallization of carbon out of a liquid medium (magma).
- sliverstorm 15y agoThat's a rather pedantic distinction. I understand coal is not the source of diamonds, but the analogy gets the point across to the general public, and covers most of the key elements.
- MaysonL 15y agoInterestingly, high pressure, high temperature synthetic diamonds are produced using graphite dissolved in molten metal. (Or at least the first commercial scale production was thus, according to Wikipedia.