Ancient Diamonds Discovered in Antarctica, But Mining Not Worth Price Scientists Claim

A new scientific report claims that diamonds can be found on every continent on Earth, even the frozen wasteland of Antarctica. However, there is some debate if these diamonds found on Earth's southernmost continent would be worth anything for those seeking a new stone source for jewelry.

The study was published in the journal Nature Communications written by lead author Gregory Yaxley, a geologist at Australian National University in Canberra. While some fortune hunters may envision Antarctica as hiding diamonds in the snowy plains of the continent, that is simply not the case. Rather, the scientific team from the study found kimberlites, which are blue colored rocks that may hold diamonds. Kimberlites form when diamonds formed deep within the Earth's mantle are pushed to the surface through volcanic eruptions. The diamonds get fused with the kimberlites and these rocks are what are found in the crust of the planet.

Recently, no kimberlites have been found in Antarctica, until geological samples from boulders on the southeastern slopes of Mount Meredith were found to hold the rocks. Mount Meredith is part of the massive Prince Charles mountain range in East Antarctica, and the kimberlites there are estimated to be 120 million years old. Yaxley explained to Livescience.com how the kimberlies made their way to Antarctica during their millions of years of existence due to the Lambert rift across the contenient:

"It is likely that this rift was critical to the formation of the kimberlite, as it may have been reactivated during separation of Australia and Antarctica from India,"

It is likely that the kimberlites are a result of Antarctica being once part of a supercontient that is eventually broke up into some of the most diamond rich areas of the world. Yaxley also went on to say that kimberlites rarely hold valuable diamonds within them, and that "much, much less than 1 carat of diamond per ton of kimberlite" can be expected from these deposits. In addition Yaxley revealed that, besides the obvious difficulties miners would face in Antarctica, mining there is largely illegal:

"Additionally, mining activity is prohibited in Antarctica under the Madrid Protocol, to which 50 nations are signatories. So, this discovery will not lead to a diamond-mining industry in the southern continent, and this is how it should be."
Despite the lack of diamonds signaling the next great migration of prospectors, this news is certainly exciting for geologists and others who are interested in seeing how the Earth has changed over the millennia.