[meteorite-list] Neither Carbonado Nor Meteorite

From: Steve Schoner <schoner_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu, 9 Apr 2009 23:52:59 GMT
Message-ID: <20090409.175259.21422.0_at_webmail05.dca.untd.com>

Fred,

I can only say that the lines and surface "looked" like fusion crust from the photos that I received from ebay's seller, "aaaroughy". I communicated with Dr. Haggarty regarding this and he even mentioned to me that there are exceedingly rare carbonado examples that have traces of what "appears" to be a "fusion" crust.

But as you noted it is not, nor can it be a "fusion crust" in the strict sense, but maybe a relic of the environment in which these unique diamonds were formed.

As for your observation regarding carbonate rocks on this very large carbonado, that is a very good observation.

It just so happens is that these carbonados are found in the carbonate beds of both Africa, and South America that date back over 2 billion years.

These diamonds, unlike the terrestrial octahedral crystalline ones, are very porous. In order to conduct his studies, Dr. Haggard had to dissolve the carbonates leaving only the sponge like carbonado remaining. There is no other diamond on earth that has this structure, nor is there any earthy mechanism that can explain the carbonado structure.

I think, though I am not sure, is that the crystalline structure is unique to meteorite diamonds. And if Haggarty's observations of the isotopic content is correct, which I am convinced that it is... Then these are extraterrestrial.

Just look at the nano-diamonds found in many carbonaceous meteorites. I could very well imagine that a huge asteroid had not only nano-diamonds, but larger ones as well, composed of millions of nano-diamonds brought together into a large carbonado.

And these diamonds are tough, harder and more enduring than the "normal" terrestrial ones. As I mentioned previously, they are even used to cut and polish "normal" diamonds. The surface is so hard that they could be washed in gravels for millions of years and not even have a scratch. But the angular ones were made that way by impact, either from the Haggarty's proposed asteroid impactor, or by later actions in the ancient steam beds that deposited them in what would eventually become carbonate rock.

So that said, there is an obvious difference between carbonado and "nomal" diamonds. It will be very interesting to see what other details come out of Dr. Haggarty's work.

The question is out there, meteoriic or not...

But believe me, this ebay seller is offering the real thing when it comes to diamonds. He is a major dealer of diamonds, carbonado's and "nomal" ones, too.

And what he is offering in this action is a real 731 ct. carbonado diamond... Among one of the largest found.

Steve Schoner
IMCA #4470

Date: Wed, 8 Apr 2009 12:59:57 -0400
From: "JoshuaTreeMuseum" <joshuatreemuseum at embarqmail.com>
Subject: [meteorite-list] Neither Carbonado Nor Meteorite
To: <meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>
Message-ID: <A1DF60D80FB8427B90BF63F04C55F1EB at ET>
[meteorite-list] Neither Carbonado Nor Meteorite
Fries, Marc D marc.d.fries at jpl.nasa.gov
Thu Apr 9 12:14:20 EDT 2009

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A carbonado with fusion crust? My skepticism meter is pegged. If true it
would be of extraordinary scientific interest, but the problem is that
diamond doesn?t melt. It evaporates. Silicates are content to form what is
basically a liquid silicon oxide, but carbon oxides (CO, CO2) are gases, not
liquids. Diamond doesn?t flow ? it goes poof.

I looked at those pictures, and there are little spallation flakes on one
side that remind me an awful lot of a carbonate rock.

Caveat emptor.

Cheers,
MDF

---------- Original Message ----------
From: "Steve Schoner" <schoner at mybluelight.com>
To: meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com
Subject: Re: Neither Carbonado Nor Meteorite
Date: Thu, 9 Apr 2009 15:32:07 GMT

I can assure you and everyone that this is a real carbonado diamond. I have dealt this this ebay diamond distributor before and his items are exactly what he claims them to be.

They are diamonds.

I bought a nice one from this dealer some time ago. It is a specimen at 21 carets and he had another which I pulled the bit at which was an extremely rare round one with fusion crust on the exterior.

Yes, what looked like fusion crust ! With flow lines !

I wish I had the $1,250 that he asked. He held it for a month or so for me, but I could not come up with the money due to medical bills. He re-listed it at $3,500. It sold. :-( to my loss, and his gain :-) And to the person that bought it ;->

There are articles out now that deal with the possibility that these unique diamonds are the products of an asteroid impact 2.9 billion years ago right at the points in Africa and South America where the two land masses were joined 2.9 billion years ago. These black diamonds are found no where else.

Dr. Haggarty has some articles on this:

http://www.bnl.gov/bnlweb/pubaf/pr/PR_display.asp?prID=07-X2

Research is continuing. But the story Dr. Haggarty has revealed is a very interesting one.

So the possibility of this being meteoric is up in the air, and the certainty that this is in fact a diamond is real.

A carbonado of this size is extremely rare. I think the largest ever found is over 1 kg.

This carbonado must be the second largest, and if so the price asked is in the right ball park.

Steve Schoner
IMCA #4470




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        reply-type=original

Yet another meteorwrong on eBay. I'm pretty sure it's not a diamond either.
Carbonados are black for one thing.....A raw meteorite as opposed to a
cooked one?

http://cgi.ebay.com/731CT-1-RAW-METEORITE-NATURAL-UNCUT-ROUGH-DIAMONDS_W0QQitemZ3003056869
88QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item300305686988&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkpar
ms=72%3A1205%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1309%7C301%3A1%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50

Phi

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Received on Thu 09 Apr 2009 07:52:59 PM PDT