Hey enthusiastic wanderers! Have you ever imagined that our very own planet Earth has its very own firework show? Only instead of colorful sparkles, it’s with diamonds!

Long, long ago, our world had big chunks of land known as supercontinents. These lands would sometimes break up and go their separate ways (like when you rearrange your LEGO sets). Now, picture a big soda bottle inside Earth, and when these lands break apart, it’s like someone shook that soda bottle super hard. POP! Out shoots a fountain of diamonds!

Dazzling Diamond Drama: Earth’s Explosive Secrets Revealed!

• Diamonds come from very deep inside Earth. Imagine stacking about 1,500 school buses on top of each other. That’s how deep we’re talking! They zoom to the surface in volcanic eruptions known as kimberlites, faster than you can say, “I want candy!” These eruptions are HUGE, like the biggest sneeze you’ve ever had!
• Professor Thomas Gernon, who is kind of like a detective for Earth’s secrets, noticed something funny. These eruptions usually happen when the big chunks of land are moving around. But instead of popping at the edges, they often explode in the middle, which is like someone dropping a cake in the center of a party, not near the door!
• Guess what? Those diamonds were just sitting there, deep inside, waiting for the right moment for maybe millions or billions of years. That’s longer than your grandma’s oldest story!
• By playing the role of Earth’s history detectives, Gernon and his team found a pattern. When the land chunks started moving, it was like starting a countdown on a timer. And then, after a super long time (imagine waiting 22 million bedtime stories!), BOOM! The eruptions happened.
• In places like Africa, the eruptions began around the edges and then, like ants at a picnic, moved towards the center of the land.
• So, what causes these surprise eruptions? Using their super-computers, researchers found out when the land breaks apart, it’s kind of like pulling taffy; everything gets stretched out. This causes hot rock from below to come up and cool down, making the Earth act like a giant mixer.
• Inside this mixer, there’s rock with water, fizzy carbon dioxide, and diamonds (like ingredients for a magic potion!). And when these mix just right? It’s party time! Diamonds burst out, just like when you shake that soda bottle.
• Besides being a cool story, this diamond drama helps in searching for hidden treasures underground. It also tells us why sometimes, Earth might go “boom” even when we least expect it.
• Gernon says it’s like Earth’s way of showing off its amazing magic tricks, not just with diamonds but with lots of other mysterious acts too!
• So, the next time you look at a shiny diamond, remember: it might just be from one of Earth’s fantastic firework shows. Our planet surely knows how to throw a party, and guess what? You’re invited to learn and be amazed every day!

Watch a video

Discover the sparkle’s secret: How Diamonds Form for Kids!