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Diamond-Studded Pipes in the Crust

Diamonds are the hardest natural substance. Because of their brilliant luster,
they are prized as precious gems. Diamonds are also very rare minerals. For
thousands of years, they have been collected from stream beds and similar places. It
was only in the late 1800s that the source of diamonds was discovered—long, narrow
cracks in the crust called pipes. These are similar to volcanic pipes, except there is no
volcano above. The first such pipe was discovered near Kimberley, South Africa, in
1867. The type of rock in the pipe was named kimberlite after the South African town.
Since then, kimberlite pipes have been discovered in other areas, including Australia
and Russia.
Geologists think that diamonds form in the asthenosphere, where high
temperatures and intense pressures cause pure carbon to crystallize. Study the
figures below to learn how diamonds become part of Earth’s lithosphere.

Miners dig directly

Under intense down into the pipe,
pressure, magma that making an open pit.
contains diamonds Then shafts are dug
quickly bursts up to mine diamonds
through the deep underground.
lithosphere. The
magma cools to form
a carrot-shaped pipe
made of kimberlite.
The only surface
evidence of the
kimberlite pipe is a
small cone. Over time
this cone wears away.

Questions are on the Back

1. What are diamonds, and why are they highly valued?

2. Where and under what conditions do diamonds form?

3. What is a kimberlite pipe?

4. What is kimberlite, and how did it get its name?

5. Why do shafts need to be dug to mine diamonds underground?