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Earth science

Old diamonds and the upper crust

Was the early Earth a blackened landscape of congealed lava, or was it cool enough for oceans to form? The discovery of diamonds in the oldest-known relics of surface rocks adds new élan to this debate.

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Figure 1: Treasure trove.

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Williams, I. Old diamonds and the upper crust. Nature 448, 880–881 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1038/448880a

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