Ok. I know that to be a mineral it must be inorganic (not coming from a living thing).
BUT heres where I'm confused - don't diamonds come from coal which is not a mineral because it came from the remains of plants long ago. SO - how can diamonds be a mineral if they come from something organic??
Can someone explain please?
2007-02-06 05:54:33 · 5 answers · asked by jmwest 3 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Earth Sciences & Geology
Diamonds come from carbon that has been subjected to extreme pressure. This does not mean that they are from coal.
2007-02-06 06:14:14 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
To put a twist to this all life on earth is carbon based and therefore all life matter can be made into diamonds they make people into diamonds all the time now as a keepsake so in a way a diamond is organic and in the same way we are mineral
2007-02-06 14:12:24 · answer #2 · answered by eric 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Its just a type of carbon formed under extreme pressure. There was a recent scientific hypothesis put forward that there are likely entire planets that the soil is made up almost entirely of diamonds (they called them "Diamond Planets"). Clearly there wasnt a whole lot of organic coal laying around on these hypothesized diamond planets, right? Its a mineral!
2007-02-06 14:04:05 · answer #3 · answered by bmwdriver11 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
A diamond is a particular crystal structure of carbon. No one says it comes from coal.
2007-02-06 14:01:50 · answer #4 · answered by Gene 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Actually, diamonds are formed from/in kimberlite, deep in the earth's mantle. They can only be found in areas which were at one time volcanic.
2007-02-06 14:05:37 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋