# How do diamonds form?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-diamonds-form/315829>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 6, 2005, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-diamonds-form/315829 "2005-08-06T01:26:23Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\
**Post date:** [August 6, 2005, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-diamonds-form/315829/1 "2005-08-06T01:26:23Z")

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Skip the common yatta, yatta, yatta about being under a lot of pressure. Exactly how do they form? What makes carbon pick one solid form vs. another? And, how are diamonds found in nature? In geodes, perhaps? - Jinx

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**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\
**Post date:** [August 6, 2005, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-diamonds-form/315829/2 "2005-08-06T01:43:00Z")

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[Phase Diagram for Carbon](http://www.me.berkeley.edu/diamond/submissions/diam_intro/cphased.htm)

[Phase Diagram for Water and Ice](http://www.lsbu.ac.uk/water/phase.html)

[Tin Pest](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tin_pest) and [Allotropy](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allotropy)

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**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\
**Post date:** [August 6, 2005, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-diamonds-form/315829/3 "2005-08-06T01:53:43Z")

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I looked at your phase diagram for water, and boy… I never knew there were so many regimes! I’ll have to take more time to review… :o

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**Author:** ![Twoflower](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/twoflower/32/22_2.png) [@Twoflower](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Twoflower)\
**Post date:** [August 6, 2005, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-diamonds-form/315829/4 "2005-08-06T04:21:32Z")

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> [@Jinx](#):
>
> how are diamonds found in nature?

In [kimberlites](http://geology.about.com/library/weekly/aa021598.htm) … the result of a high-velocity volcanic eruptions from the earth’s mantle.

And I know this is GQ, but this is too good not to share … they are also [proof of creationism](http://www.answersingenesis.org/creation/v16/i1/diamonds.asp) because

> [@Answers in Genesis](#):
>
> there are extremely rapid and catastrophic geological processes which evolutionary geologists have been forced to concede do occur

:rolleyes: … but actually that link describes the geology fairly well if you ignore the conclusions …

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**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\
**Post date:** [August 6, 2005, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-diamonds-form/315829/5 "2005-08-06T06:40:56Z")

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“Pardon my French, but Cameron is so tight that if you stuck a lump of coal up his ass, in two weeks you’d have a diamond.” – Ferris Bueller