Diamonds found in Sweden
Researchers have found tiny diamonds in Snasahögarna in Jämtland. They offer new insight into the region's geologic story.
There are sparkles in Sweden. Not since the days of gold panning have diamonds been found in our neighbouring country. And those findings were never confirmed, and they did not occur in bedrock.
According to researcher Jaroslaw Majka at Uppsala University, the diamonds provide new knowledge about the geological evolution of our planet.
“The diamonds are probably more valuable from a scientific perspective than in terms of money. But they are real diamonds,” Majka said in a press release.
Geological value
The diamonds are called micro-diamonds, which means they can be measured in micrometres. To get an idea of the size, visualize a millimetre. Then divide this into a thousand pieces. That is a micrometre, and is the size of a small micro-diamond.
Although the diamonds are very small, they provide a lot of information about geological processes.
The gems were formed far below the Earth’s surface, where the pressure is very high. The result is that they rarely come up to the surface.
But some diamonds have, as it turns out, appeared in Jämtland, meaning that researchers can challenge old theories about how the crust of the Earth is being pushed down – and back up again.
The study, published in the journal Geology, was conducted in collaboration with researchers from Slovakia, Germany, Poland and Japan.
Snasahögarna is a mountainous area 60 miles west of Östersund. The highest mountain is Storsnasen, measuring 1463 metres above sea level.
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Read the Norwegian version of this article at forskning.no
Translated by: Lars Nygaard
