Discovering Unique Diamonds and Minerals Formed by Space Objects Colliding with Earth’s Surface

When space objects collide with the Earth’s surface, very high temperatures occur, which contribute to the appearance of various minerals.

Diamonds with a unique structure were discovered in Diablo Canyon, which could have formed in various ways, including during the collision of asteroids with the Earth. A recent study showed that these diamonds differ from ordinary diamonds by the presence of graphene-like domains associated with diamonds and forming diapits.

In the same canyon, a form of carbon called lonsdalite containing cubic diamonds was discovered. Studying this material using Raman spectroscopy revealed its unique properties.

Lonsdalite can be used to produce materials with special electronic characteristics that can be applied in various industries, including abrasives, electronics and nanomedicine.