PINK DIAMOND

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Context

• Pink diamonds are among the most costly stones in the world due to their scarcity and beauty.
• More than 90% of all pink diamonds ever were unearthed at the Argyle mine in Australia's far northwest. Most other diamond mines, on the other hand, are in the center of a continent.

Pink Diamond Forming Ingredients

• Three elements are required for the production of the Pink diamond. Two of the three components required to create pink diamonds were already known.
• The first component is carbon, which must be more than 150 kilometers underground.
• The second factor is the appropriate amount of pressure used to color the diamonds.
• The third and final missing component was the event that caused the diamonds to rocket to the surface.

• The tremendous pressure that twisted color into the diamonds occurred 1.8 billion years ago during collisions between western and northern Australia.

The Key Missing Ingredient

• Pink diamonds were introduced to the earth's surface by the break-up of the first supercontinent Nuna some 1.3 billion years ago, according to a study published in the journal Nature Communications.
• The "scar" from that event was exacerbated as Nuna began to break up.
• Magma rushed up through this old scar, carrying the gems with it.

Significance

• Knowing the "missing ingredient" for pink diamonds may aid future efforts to locate the precious stones.
• Old mountain belts marking Nuna's split near the boundaries of continents, such as Canada, Russia, southern Africa, and Australia, may also be home to a new "pink diamond paradise."

Key facts about Nuna

• It is an ancient supercontinent that once existed on the surface of our planet.
• Nuna is thought to have existed between 1.6 and 2.5 billion years ago, predating even the legendary Pangea by a significant amount.
• Nuna's formation is being actively mapped by researchers using geological and paleomagnetic data.
• These hints point to Nuna bringing together bits of what we now call North America, northern Europe, and sections of Siberia.
• This supercontinent went through several cycles of joining together and breaking apart. The Earth's surface was changed by each stage of assembly and dispersal.
• These alterations resulted in the construction of new geological formations, which laid the framework for the following continents.
• One of the most exciting discoveries concerning Nuna is its relationship to Earth's atmospheric evolution.
• Volcanic activity increased as Nuna developed. These volcanoes emitted massive amounts of carbon dioxide, helping to shape the planet's early atmospheric conditions and possibly impacting the fate of life.

PRACTICE QUESTION Consider the following statements regarding Pink diamond: More than 90% of all pink diamonds ever were unearthed at the Argyle mine in Australia. Pink diamonds were introduced to the earth's surface by the break-up of the first supercontinent Nuna. Which of the above statements is/are correct? A) 1 only B) 2 only C) Both 1 and 2 D) Neither 1 nor 2 Answer: C