This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Ravenpuff (talk | contribs) at 23:09, 27 December 2023 (ce). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Revision as of 23:09, 27 December 2023 by Ravenpuff (talk | contribs) (ce)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff) Picture of the day archives: 2023 December < 2023 December 29 2023 December 31 > Picture of the day.png)
Diamond is a solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Diamond is metastable at standard temperature and pressure: it converts to the chemically stable form graphite under those conditions, but at a negligible rate. Diamond has the highest hardness and thermal conductivity of any natural material, properties that are used in major industrial applications such as cutting and polishing tools. In addition to its industrial uses, diamond is much sought-after as a gemstone for use in jewelry. Most natural diamonds have ages between 1 billion and 3.5 billion years and formed at depths between 150 to 250 kilometres (93 to 155 mi) in the Earth's mantle. They were then carried to the surface more recently in volcanic eruptions and deposited in igneous rocks known as kimberlites and lamproites. This photograph shows the cathodoluminescence of a diamond in real colour, taken with the use of a scanning electron microscope.Photograph credit: Pavel Somov
Archive – More featured pictures...