Metamorphic Rocks Discussion Diamond Impurities Bonanza for Geologists Studying Earth’s History https://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=121047 Diamonds are brought from the mantle to Earth's surface very quickly in geologically rare eruptions. Geologists believe none of these eruptions have occurred in recorded history, nor have they found any recent eruptive structure (i.e., a volcano) corresponding to them. Geologists have found round outcroppings of unusual rock called kimberlites, believed to be the "necks" or "feeder pipes" of these eruption, and determined that nearly all of the diamonds in the crust came from them. The linked article presents a novel way of using impurities in diamonds, called inclusions, to study ancient Earth processes. The research was funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation, a federal agency that supports original research and education in all scientific fields. Diamonds are a metamorphosed form of carbon—the element that also is abundant in all living organisms. Simplified explanations suggest that diamonds formed through the metamorphism of coal (the carbon-rich remains of land plants). You’ll learn in Chapter 13 that land plants first appeared in the Silurian Period, and swampy forests suitable for coal formation became abundant about 400 million years ago, in the Devonian Period. Answer the following questions based on reading the above question. Make sure to cite the given article as well as any others you use in text and at the end of the post. Remember that EVERY sentence that uses information from another source or has a statement of fact that is not common knowledge needs a citation. · Based on your understanding of plate tectonics processes and your reading of the linked article, what is incorrect about the explanation that “diamonds are metamorphosed coal”-the key thing here is the age of the diamonds and the age of coal? · Diamonds free of any imperfections or impurities are considered to be the highest quality by gemologists. Geologists prefer to study diamonds that have inclusions. What information is contained in diamond inclusions that make them so valuable to geologists? Safely encased in super-hard diamond, impurities are unaltered, ancient minerals that tell the story of Earth's distant past. Researchers analyzed data from more than 4,000 of these mineral inclusions to find that continents started the cycle of breaking apart, drifting, and colliding about three billion years ago. Wilson cycle is responsible for the growth of the Earth's continental crust, the continental structures we see today, the opening and closing of ocean basins through time, mountain building, and the distribution of ores and other materials in the crust. "But when it all began has remained elusive until now," Shirey says. "We used the impurities, or inclusions, contained in diamonds, because they are perfect time capsules from great depth beneath the continents. "They provide age and chemical information for a span of more than 3.5 billion years that includes the evolution of the atmosphere, the growth of the continental crust, and the beginning of plate tectonics." "The tiny inclusions found inside diamonds studied by this team have recorded the chemistry and evolution of the Earth over 3.5 billion years, ///"They help pinpoint when the cycle of plate tectonics first began on Earth." · You should also research and post an additional bit of information *citing your source in text and with a reference or works cited list* about either diamonds, diamond mining, kimberlite pipes, or a related topic. [Show Less]