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Diamond conference at the Goethe University

August 12, 2008

The science of diamonds and their inclusions

From the 10 to 15 August, the casino on the Westend Campus will become the worldwide centre for diamond researchers from industry and academia. During this time, the mineralogists from the GeoZentrum of the Goethe University will host the 9th International Kimberlite Conference, which is the most important meeting related to this unique gemstone. Kimberlite Conferences have been held in a 4‐5 year cycle for more than 30 years, usually in a diamond‐producing country. Even though Germany has no economic diamond deposits, an international committee decided that the conference should be held in Frankfurt. Their decision was no doubt related to the high level of scientific expertise and the international reputation of a number of members of the GeoZentrum.

The worldwide significance of this conference is demonstrated by the participation of nearly 500 researchers from academia and industry from over 37 countries. About 5 % of the participants are based at universities in Germany.

Diamonds are not only fascinating gemstones. Diamonds are also renown for their unique physical properties such as their extreme hardness and their high conductivity of heat. For geoscientists, the fascination is quite different. During their growth at depths greater than 150 km, diamonds often incorporate pieces of neighbouring minerals. Such "inclusions" lower a diamond's value as a gemstone, but represent a treasure trove for geoscientists. Kimberlite magma (which produces a particular volcanic rock) acts as an elevator to transport diamonds to the Earth's surface from great depths. The diamonds serve as the packaging that brings the minerals as inclusions to us from depths exceeding 670 km. So what do geoscientists do with diamonds? They break them apart to get at the inclusions. Such studies provide us with information about the conditions and dynamics of the deep Earth. This knowledge is in turn essential in the search for new diamond deposits, which explains the symbiosis between industry and science that the Kimberlite Conference represents.

The search for diamonds is as intense as ever. Strong growth in demand is being driven by the rapid economic development of the developing countries, like India and China. As a result, diamond production will remain an important economic factor for a number of countries including South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Russia, Australia and Canada. Together with basic scientific research, improvements in the search for diamonds and the exploitation of diamond resources are central themes of the Kimberlite Conference. As a result, it is not surprising that more than half of the conference presentations and participants are from industry. The worldwide leading mining companies such as Rio Tinto, De Beers and BHP Billiton are all represented.

Holding the 9th International Kimberlite Conference in Frankfurt also has an interesting historical twist: the success story of De Beers had its beginning near Frankfurt. Ernest Oppenheimer, the founder of the diamond cartel, was born in nearby Friedberg on 22 May 1880 and lived there until he was 16 years old.

Goethe University Frankfurt