[meteorite-list] Lunar diamonds (was Kalahari 008 and weathering)

From: Darren Garrison <cynapse_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu, 19 Apr 2007 14:12:49 -0500
Message-ID: <4bff231p2jrac9f7g96eri540otirdgq45_at_4ax.com>

On Thu, 19 Apr 2007 12:35:50 -0500, you wrote:

>No diamonds have been seen, to my knowledge. The Moon contains very
>little carbon. Again, most of the carbon on the lunar surface comes
>either from carbonaceous chondrites or is implanted by solar
>wind. Nowhere is the C concentration high enough to make a diamond
>by impact pressure.

I meant from carbon within the meteorites themselves, analogous to the metal
specks in lunars coming from meteorites. Such as with some carbon in graphite
nodules in Canyon Diablo being converted into diamond by the shock of impact.
On Earth, only the large impacts retain the speed to be shocked into diamonds,
but on the Moon, any impact should have enough speed. But maybe on the Moon,
they hit too hard? Instead of diamondizing, they simply vaporize?
Received on Thu 19 Apr 2007 03:12:49 PM PDT