Life of a diamond

Posted By KRISTY TICKEL, SCIENCE IN THE NORTH found at thesudburystar.com

 

 

Life of a diamond: From start to finish, diamond mining and exploration is a tedious and expensive mission, but the value of the product at the end of it is worth the output. An exhibition in Ontaria tells more

Diamond explorer, Eira Thomas, said it took two years for the Diavik Diamond Mine, located in the Northwest Territories, to repay the capital used to get the mine started, around $1.3 billion, which in any language is a pretty big return on an investment.

Physical Address: 122 Big Nickel Road, Sudbury ON
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To find a diamond, geologists search for indicator minerals, crystals and sands usually found in the same place as diamonds. Sediment samples are taken and if diamonds are found, geologists search some more.

Considering how diamonds are formed, it is amazing people find them at all. Only extreme conditions can create a diamond, deep underground, between 190 and 200 kilometres down, and between 900 to 1,300 degrees Celsius. The only way for the diamond to get to the surface is an eruption, similar to that of a volcano. They must travel up to 30 kilometres per hour for the diamond to stay as diamond.

Natural diamonds range in colour and can be pale yellow, brown, red, green, blue and black. The colours are created by different chemicals interacting with the diamond during its formation. Hydrogen, nitrogen and radioactivity can all impact a diamond's colour.

The way a diamond is mined depends on where it is on the Earth. Placer mining finds diamonds at the surface, while open pit mining is used to retrieve deeper diamonds. Underground mining is also used for deep diamonds, when the ground is safe enough to tunnel into.

Alluvial mining recovers diamonds from the sea floor using remote controlled underwater vehicles and drills.

Artisanal mining is a small-scale operation that involves digging or sifting through mud or gravel by hand.

Once extracted from the Earth, the ore, containing the diamonds, is crushed and ground. A cyclone machine uses spinning forces to separate diamonds from host rock. The remaining mixture is then put on a conveyer belt through an X-ray machine. In the machine, the diamond glows and is collected by an air jet. Smaller stones are retrieved using a water tank.

To get the right shape, be it for jewels or industrial use, the diamonds need to be cut. Only about 20% of all diamonds will be cut and polished and used in jewelry.

The diamond is cut using a fast spinning blade, then made into a specific shape using another diamond spinning against it

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Physical Address: 122 Big Nickel Road, Sudbury ON
Mailing Address: 100 Ramsey Lake Road, Sudbury ON P3E 5S9 • Tel: (705) 523-4629 or 1-800-461-4898
Fax: (705) 522-4954 • General Inquiries • contactus@sciencenorth.ca

Don't miss your chance to learn more about the world's diamonds. Dynamic Earth's special exhibition,Diamonds, ends Thanksgiving Monday. Visit dynamicearth.ca more information.