蘊含巨大鑽石礦藏的俄國隕石坑位置圖。
圖／摘自英國每日郵報
俄羅斯在西伯利亞東部一座有3500萬年歷史的隕石坑發現巨大鑽石礦脈，科學家估計蘊含「好幾兆克拉」的原鑽，超過全球目前已知存量總和的10倍，可供全世界使用3000年。
基督教科學箴言報報導，其實克里姆林宮早在1970年代就知道這裡有驚人的鑽石礦藏，只是決定守口如瓶，而且不開採，因為當時克宮已從西伯利亞東部另一處密爾尼鑽石礦脈賺到巨大的利益，密爾尼礦區11年前因產量減少與安全因素而關閉。
俄國政府近日終於允許隕石坑附近的「諾佛西比斯克地質學暨礦物學研究所」將秘密公諸於世，於是這間研究所便在上周末開記者會發布消息。
俄國國家通訊社報導，這座「波皮蓋隕石坑」（Popigai Astroblem）直徑約100公里，內含原鑽「硬度是一般鑽石的兩倍」，粗糙而且晶粒大，非常適合用在工業或科學研究上。
諾佛西比斯克研究所所長波西藍科說，這些原鑽是由類似隕石的物體撞擊礦床而形成，全新的鑽石礦脈足以「顛覆」目前的鑽石市場。
2 則留言:
好彩唔係銀礦!
Some info about "impact diamonds" which I found online:
The hexagonal shape of impact diamonds and in situ observations in thin sections substantiate a solid-state transformation of graphite to diamond by a martensitic mechanism (Figs. 5a, b; El Goresy et al. 2001; Langenhorst 2002). This transition involves (1) collective sliding of basal planes of hexagonal graphite (ABAB…) in such a way that a cubic stacking sequence forms (ABCABC…) and (2) compression and puckering of carbon layers along the c axis. Due to the martensitic nature of this transition, there is a crystallographic orientation relationship between the crystal structures of the two carbon polymorphs, with [111]dia being parallel to [0001]gr. As in the case of the post-rutile transition, the martensitic mechanism yields a very disordered diamond with many planar defects on {111} planes, resulting in unusual physical properties, such as anomalous birefringence (Fig. 5a).
(http://elements.geoscienceworld.org/content/8/1/31.full)
Another older article about impact diamonds:
http://geology.geoscienceworld.org/content/27/8/747.full.pdf+html
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