Large gem diamonds from metallic liquid in Earth’s deep mantle

Abstract

Diamonds rock their metal roots Massive diamonds are rare, expensive, and captivating. These diamonds now appear to be distinctive not only in their size but also in their origin. Smith et al. probed mineral inclusions from these very large diamonds and found abundant slivers of iron metal surrounded by reducing gases. This suggests that the large diamonds grew from liquid metal in Earth's mantle. The inclusions also provide direct evidence of a long-suspected metal precipitation reaction that requires a more reducing mantle. Science , this issue p. 1403