Home > Science Fact Finder > Metals and Other Materials - Are There Any Diamond Mines In The United States?

Metals and Other Materials - Are There Any Diamond Mines In The United States?

Are there any diamond mines in the United States?

The only significant diamond deposit in North America is at Murfreesboro, Arkansas. It is on government-owned land and has never been systematically developed. For a small fee, tourists can dig there and try to find diamonds. The largest crystal found there weighed 40.23 carats (one carat equals about 200 milligrams) and was named the "Uncle Sam" diamond.

Diamonds crystallize directly from melted rock that is rich in magnesium and saturated with carbon dioxide gas (saturated means that it contains the maximum possible amount). Diamonds form when the melted rock, originating deep in the Earth's mantle (the layer of Earth beneath the crust), is subjected to high pressures and temperatures exceeding 2559° Fahrenheit (1400° Celsius).

Diamonds are minerals composed entirely of the element carbon, with an isometric (having three equal axes at right...

[The entire page is 208 words long]

Join eNotes

The above is a free excerpt. Get total access to this content with the:

eNotes Pass