Formation of Diamonds

Scientists have recently discovered that diamonds have been forming for over 3 billion years, deep within the earth.  Although the exact formation process is not known, scientists have estimated the procedure. 

1. Carbon dioxide is present 100 miles beneath the Earth’s surface.
2. The carbon dioxide is heated to over 2000 degrees Fahrenheit.
3. Then, it is squeezed under extreme pressure.
4. Finally, it is rushed to the Earth’s surface where it cools, possibly through volcanic eruptions.

Although many diamonds are formed naturally, there is also a process of synthetically making diamonds.  One way to synthetically produce a diamond is to expose extreme heat and pressure to graphite, which is also completely made up of carbon.  This process takes a couple of days and a metallic solution is also mixed in with the graphite, so the diamonds are not quite as clean as a real diamond.  Another diamond producing method called chemical vapor deposition involves placing a small diamond into a chamber that uses a microwave beam to zap natural gas into the diamond.  The gas is tremendously heated and carbon falls down onto the diamond, which creates a perfect diamond in less than twenty-four hours.

Carbon Forming Diamonds