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

From: MexicoDoug <MexicoDoug_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu, 19 Apr 2007 13:50:29 -0500
Message-ID: <002001c782b3$9bd47f20$50ce5ec8_at_0019110394>

Darren, I also originally interpreted your question as asking to find
sufficient carbon deposits on the moon capable of forming diamonds. I would
think that "impact diamonds" are caused away from the point of impact due to
pressure waves well within the (incompressible) rocks. A large impactor as
you comment is probably going to 'vaporize' in which case you won't get much
of anything, well maybe you are right - nanodiamonds from graphite, etc,
from the tail end? generally though I would think the diamonds wouldn't be
found in the regolith for Randy's comment, but in the impactor itself. Then
you would need the surviving impactor to be pulverized by subsequent impacts
releasing the diamonds into the Lunar soil. Or else we'd need to have
brought home the Lunar impactor itself to look for the diamonds, right?
Best Wishes and Great Health,
Doug


----- Original Message -----
From: "Darren Garrison" <cynapse at charter.net>
To: <meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>
Sent: Thursday, April 19, 2007 2:12 PM
Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Lunar diamonds (was Kalahari 008
andweathering)


> 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?
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Received on Thu 19 Apr 2007 02:50:29 PM PDT