Roswell incident
The sensational news that diamonds in Siberia are apparently invisible, instantly spread around not only Russia, but the whole world. The Russians were delighted: there are enough diamonds for everyone, and with such wealth the country is not afraid of any crisis, so pensions and salaries will rise … But you never know what can be done with such money! However, experts forced the inhabitants to return from heaven to earth, leaving only a tiny hope …
Trillion carat treasure
It turns out that the miracle treasure was discovered by Soviet scientists back in the 70s of the last century. It lies partly in the Krasnoyarsk Territory, partly in Yakutia, in the place where a giant asteroid fell 35 million years ago, forming a crater 100 km in diameter.
The space body with great speed pierced the thickness of the earth and braked it in the rocks of the foundation of the Siberian platform. According to preliminary estimates, the explosion energy reached 1023 J, i.e. was 1000 times more than during the most powerful volcanic eruption. Experts believe that the local diamonds, which are called Popigai by the name of the crater, were formed precisely as a result of the monstrous impact of an asteroid on the earth: during shock compression, graphite passed directly into diamond.
However, immediately after the discovery, the study of the deposit was frozen. Why? Experts somehow evasively answer this question. Allegedly, natural diamonds were not needed at that time, because factories for the production of synthetic ones were being built in the country. So it turns out that only a select few knew about the diamond treasure. And they forgot over time … Or pretended to have forgotten. After all, rumors that the closure of the deposit was a conspiracy of synthetic diamond producers are still circulating.
The Popigai diamond deposit is the only one in the world, although there are more than 150 ancient impact craters (formed when a space body fell) on Earth.
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The secret of the secret deposit in September 2012 was revealed to the public by the director of the Institute of Geology and Mineralogy. V. S. Sobolev of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, academician Nikolai Pokhilenko. According to him, the discovery of the Popigai deposit can revolutionize the world diamond market. After all, the resource of the deposit exceeds all the world's proven reserves of diamonds.
An expedition of scientists who will conduct mineralogical, technical and economic studies to assess the profitability of diamond mining is being prepared for the Popigai crater.
Sad prefix
However, today many experts, without any expedition and research, claim that the extraction of these diamonds is unprofitable due to the harsh climatic conditions of the area. The average temperature in winter is -50 ° C. The thickness of the permafrost soil reaches an average of 200 m.
But the most important thing is not even that. According to pessimistic experts, in the Popigai crater there are not at all the stones from which jewelry can be made. These are very small, black, clumsy diamonds with the sad prefix "technical". Therefore, their extraction is simply meaningless - it costs more than what can be obtained.
Optimistic specialists categorically disagree with them. In their opinion, 40 years ago, the properties of the found minerals were little studied, so for them the cost was determined equal to a simple synthetic diamond (in the 1970s it was a few cents per carat), and therefore the development of the deposit was considered unprofitable.
However, it has now become clear that there are no more diamonds like in Yakutia on the planet. Their cutting properties are twice as sharp as conventional natural and synthetic diamonds. Technological testing of Popigai diamonds has shown a wide range of uses - from surgical scalpels and soldering iron tips to rock cutting tools and high quality abrasives. Is it any wonder that many international companies are already opening their mouths to our "loaf".
By the way, the value of Siberian diamonds is measured not only in money. They are of great scientific value. After all, they came to us from space!
Seven dollar miner
In the US, in the state of Arkansas, there is the famous Crater of Diamonds park. Its uniqueness lies in the fact that everyone can search for diamonds there. And if he finds, take the stone with him. 15.2 hectares. plowed volcanic rocks are provided to visitors to search for precious stones. All that is found is yours and yours alone.
In 1906, farmer John Hudleston first discovered several precious minerals here. This diamond deposit - the only one in the whole of North America - immediately became famous. But it soon became clear that American diamonds did not meet jewelry standards.
But the "Diamond Crater" is not dead, it continues to make a profit - due to the pilgrimage of tourists. In 1972, the state bought the land from Hudleston for $ 750,000 and declared it a national park. Now there is organized a "miners' fishing", for whom the search for diamonds is an entertainment attraction. For just $ 7, tourists can feel like gem miners.
What does it take to become one of the lucky ones? Just come to the Diamond Crater Park. There you will be provided with comprehensive instructions, a bucket, a shovel and two sieves - with large and small cells. With this inventory, you will go to the park, choose a place on a small plowed field, collect greenish soil in a bucket and take it to the washing station. Having poured the contents of the bucket into double sieves - large at the top, small at the bottom, place them in one of the vats of water and keep there, shaking from time to time, until you get rid of the earth. What remains at the bottom of the sieve shake out on a special table and start looking for your treasure.
As a rule, ordinary small stones remain on the table, but it happens that luck also shines. Experts will help you to recognize which is which.
For those who want to try their luck, having spent not hours looking, but, say, the whole vacation, there is a tent city, a picnic area, a playground and a small water park. For example, Jim Archer spent his entire life in this park, becoming its kind of attraction. From time to time he found diamonds, sold them and lived on it. Diamond Jimmy died at the age of 77 with a shovel and a bucket in his hands - with an unfulfilled dream of becoming a millionaire one day.
Meanwhile, it was here, in the failed diamond mines of Arkansas, that the largest diamond in North America, weighing more than 40 carats, was found, called "Uncle Sam". The next largest was the Amarillo Starlight, over 16 carats, followed by the 15 carat Star of Arkansas.
In 1990, a casual visitor, Shirley Strawn, found a 3-carat diamond. After cutting, the stone was recognized by experts as the most ideal diamond in the world (!) In terms of clarity and color.
And one more interesting find, declared the symbol of Arkansas, is the golden diamond "Can Canari", of the rarest triangular shape, weighing more than 4 carats. An owner named Kahn inserted a diamond into a ring, uncut. Natural product, so to speak. At the inauguration of Bill Clinton in 1992, the first lady of America, Hillary, wore the Can Canari ring, borrowed on this occasion from his rightful owner.
In total, during the work of the park, its visitors found about 27 thousand diamonds, of which 778 - weighing more than 1 carat.
Magazine: Archives of the 20th century №2, Sergei Borodin