New study suggests that Diamonds could be common in deep Earth

A research study that emerged online claims that Diamonds might not be as precious as they seem to be, since they could be a really common mineral in deep Earth.

Diamonds are in the list of the most precious and expensive stones -minerals, to be scientifically accurate- on planet Earth, nearly ever since they were discovered. Songs, movies, paintings, sculptures, watches, jewelleries, human kind has included diamonds in its foundations when it comes to art, fashion etc; and all that because they are considered rare, and thus valuable.

But what if we told you that diamonds may not be as rare as we all believe they are?

According to a study published on Tuesday in Nature Communications, scientists from Johns Hopkins University seem to have discovered in theory, a new model of conditions, under which diamonds can form 100 miles under Earth’s crust.

That is ten times deeper than any human has ever gone. According to the said model, that at very high temperatures (over 1,650 degrees Fahrenheit) and high pressures (over 725,000 pounds per square inch), water can naturally form diamonds as it moves from one type of rock to another. The key requirement to the whole procedure is the changes in pH, as the water below the Earth gets more acidic.

As interesting as it may sound, don’t rush to grab your diamond miner kit, or else you’ll be embarking on a wild goose chase. The study is just a theory for the time being, as the team of researchers that came up with the idea have no way of backing it up with conclusive proof. But even if it all turns out to be true, those diamonds are actually pretty tiny so you’d need special equipment to get a valuable quantity, while the whole process would be too time-consuming.

Still, such a research may prove to be fundamental for further exploration. In addition, it may contribute to researches conducted in other fields, or to study wider interactions between deep fluids and rocks, hence helping the whole scientific community relevant to the field, to get a better perspective of the way our Earth’s interior has evolved over time.