Forget Diamond Planets, South Pole Could Be Rich In Sparklers

If you are too fond of sparklers and always wanted to take a trip to one of the carbon-rich planets, believed to hold fabulous hoards of diamonds, here’s a place closer home. For the first time, scientists have discovered a special type of rock called kimberlite, known to contain the precious stones, in the permanently frozen region of East Antarctica. Kimberlites often indicate a rich deposit of diamonds and are found in several parts of the world including Siberia, Africa and Australia. However, this is the first time it has been found in the South Pole. The research report has been recently published in the journal called Nature Communications.

Pure carbon becomes diamond under extreme heat and pressure, at a depth of around 150 km in the Earth’s crust. Volcanic eruptions then bring these valuable crystals to the surface, usually preserved in another type of bluish rock called kimberlite.

“Kimberlites are a volumetrically minor component of the Earth’s volcanic record, but are very important as the major commercial source of diamonds and as the deepest samples of the Earth’s mantle,” researchers said in the journal. “Here we report the first bona fide Antarctic kimberlite occurrence, from the northern Prince Charles Mountains,” they added.

These rocks are mostly found in ancient, stable regions of continental crust or cratons, and till now, they have been reported from almost all major cratons on all continents, except for Antarctica.

The team has found three samples on the slopes of Mount Meredith in the northern Prince Charles Mountains. The samples are texturally, mineralogically and geochemically typical of Group I kimberlites from more classical localities, according to the researchers.

“The fact they are reporting Group I kimberlites is an important one as diamonds are more likely to be found in this style of kimberlite eruption,” said Dr Teal Riley, a survey geologist with the British Antarctic Survey. He, however, warned that actual extraction may not take place because “only 10% or so (of Group 1 kimberlites) are economically viable.”

Moreover, mineral extraction is prohibited in Antarctica as the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty of 1991 bans it, except for scientific purposes.

However, Dr Kevin Hughes from the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research said that extraction might take place after the treaty parties express their views. The decision also depends on whether feasible technologies can be found.

With input from Agencies
Image: Antarctica.gov.au