Diamond: Genesis, Mineralogy and Geochemistry

Download or read book Diamond: Genesis, Mineralogy and Geochemistry written by Karen Smit and published by Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG. This book was released on 2023-05-03 with total page 898 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Diamond is the record-setter in many mineralogical properties such as hardness, diffusivity, thermal conductivity, purity, and covalency of bonding. Similarly, diamond, as the premier gemstone of the mantle holds primacy for geological features such as age and depth of origin. Diamond was among the first crystalline structures to be solved by X-ray diffraction and the first materials measured for their Raman spectrum. At more than 80 billion USD in yearly commercial value, diamond sets the record for the most traded, valuable mineral on the planet. Despite its chemical simplicity, diamond has been the object of more research effort, and had more scientific and popular press pages written about it, than any other mineral.