Rare Australian Pink Diamonds

Name the precious diamonds formed by collision between Western Australia and Northern Australia around 1.8 billion years ago.

Answer: Pink Diamonds

Enrich your Learning:

About Rare Australian Pink Diamonds:

• Pink diamonds are rare and different in nature as compared to their blue or yellow counterparts.
• Blue or yellow diamonds derive their colors from impurities like nitrogen and boron, while pink diamonds stems from a unique bent crystalline structure.
• It is one of the most sought-after gemstones in the world, with prices for the highest grade reaching into the tens of millions.
• The Argyle diamond deposit in Western Australia led by Dr. Hugo Olierook discovered this phenomenon.
• Argyle area underwent stretching during the continent’s formative years that created openings in the Earth’s crust.
• Magma surged upwards through the cracks and brought pink diamonds to the surface.
• A monumental collision between Western Australia and Northern Australia around 1.8 billion years ago is believed to have transformed colorless diamonds into pink variants.
• The advanced laser technology used to analyze minerals and rocks revealed that it is 1.3 billion years old, correcting previous estimates and indicating hidden pink diamond-laden volcanoes.
• It suggests that Argyle is at the meeting point of two ancient continents, potentially hiding more undiscovered pink diamond treasures beneath sand and soil.

About Nuna:

• Also known as Hudsonland, Nuna is an ancient super continent, existing 1.6 to 2.5 billion years ago, predated Pangea and shaped the Earth’s surface through cycles of assembly and dispersal.
• Nuna’s formation influenced Earth’s atmospheric evolution, with increased volcanic activities releasing carbon dioxide and shaping early atmospheric conditions.
• It was proposed by John Rogers and M. Santosh in 2002, and considered the oldest supercontinent.

Why in News?

Recent research in Western Australia unveils the geological narrative behind the formation of rare pink diamonds, connecting it to the ancient supercontinent, Nuna.