RUSSIA
A Crater Full of Diamonds
By Jenny McGlone
Chapel Hill, NC, United States
If you could close your eyes and imagine the largest number possible of some small item, would it be one of these:
- a mountain of pebbles?
- a football stadium full of pennies?
- an ocean of paper clips?
What if that huge amount of something was diamonds? And if the value of that pile of diamonds was a number in the quadrillions, then you would probably be pretty amazed, right?
Buried Treasure
In Russia, way up north in the harsh Yakutia region of Siberia, at latitude 71° 38′ 59.99″ N, longitude 111° 10′ 60.00″ E, lies a reserve of diamonds that multiplies the world’s current known stocks by a factor of 10. Located in the Popigai Crater, these trillions of carats are enough to supply the entire planet with diamonds for the next 3,000 years. Moreover, the diamonds are twice as hard as the typical, mined gemstone, making them most valuable in scientific and industrial realms.
Asteroid Crash
Geologists believe that this bonanza of diamonds was formed 35 million years ago when an asteroid crashed into the earth, creating a crater that is 62 miles in diameter. These impact diamonds resulted from the collision of a large, high-velocity object and a carbon-based graphite deposit. When the four-mile-wide asteroid slammed into the Earth, graphite in the ground would have been instantaneously transformed into diamond within an 8.5 mile radius. In addition to being harder, the resulting stones have a different structure than the kind you would see in jewelry.
Digging for Diamonds
The diamond field was uncovered in the 1970s near where gulag prisoners dug mines for Communist leader Joseph Stalin. Rumor has it that the site was kept secret because the former Soviet Union had already invested heavily in the production of industrial diamonds and did not want to flood the market.
In September 2012, Russia declassified its discovery in order to capitalize on the increasing demand for super-hard diamonds in various technological pursuits such as nuclear fusion. Geologists doubt the feasibility of mining the impact diamonds, so don’t look for them to appear on the market anytime soon.
If you’re seeking a bargain on an engagement ring, these impact stones are unlikely to help you. However, if you need a super-hard diamond for your laser or turbine, you may be in luck!
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Math Resources
Learning Activity:
Sample Problems:
- How many zeros are in one trillion? Write this number in scientific notation.
- Draw a circle that represents the crater. Now calculate how much of that circle contains diamonds. Shade that one differently. What percentage of the crater contains diamonds?
- If the crater has a diameter of 62 miles, what is the area of the circle it encompasses? What would those measurements be in kilometers?
Social Justice Question
Research the Stalin regime during the time when Russia was known as the USSR. What sorts of social justice questions do you have after learning about this period in history?
Explore Further
- A geologist’s opinion that the Popogai crater is overhyped
- Facts for kids about the Popogai crater
- More information about the value of the site
- Video showing industrial diamonds
- How to make impact diamonds in a laboratory
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