The Wonder Book of Volcanoes and EarthquakesHouston, Edwin J. (Edwin James)
Science
The Wonder Book of Volcanoes and Earthquakes
Houston, Edwin J. (Edwin James)
Earthquakes; Volcanoes
So far as the volcanic origin of the diamonds of the Kimberly diamond
fields is concerned, Cohen's theory has been generally accepted with
the following modifications: that the pipes were not filled by a
single volcanic eruption, but by successive eruptions, and that in
the case of the Kimberly mine, the pipes contain the results of as
many as fifteen successive eruptions. There has, however, been another
and more important modification proposed to Cohen's theory, which is
far more probable. It will be noticed that Cohen's theory regards the
action of the volcanic eruption as only serving to bring fragments
of a deep-seated mother rock that contained the diamonds up from
below with the material that fills the pipe. Now, Prof. Carvill Lewis
proposes the following very important change in Cohen's theory: that
the blue ground does not consist of fragmentary material or tuff, but
was forced up from below in the pipe in a molten mass and consolidated
on cooling. In other words, the blue ground is filled with an ordinary
igneous rock that was solidified in place in the vent or pipe.
In the great Kimberly mines the surface of the pipe is divided into
numerous separate claims, each consisting of a small square lot. There
are so many of these claims in the Kimberly mine that its surface is
honey-combed by numerous square pits. The work is done largely by
native Kaffirs employed there since the '70's. As the material was
removed from the pit, the adjoining claims were separated from each
other by high vertical walls.
At a later date, in order to remove the material and separate the
lots, high staging provided with ropes and hauling machinery was
erected. The number of these ropes is now so great that the mine has
the appearance of a huge cobweb.
A very extensive series of investigations has been made at a
comparatively recent date by Prof. Henri Moissan of France on various
chemical products that are obtained under the influence of the high
temperatures of the electric furnace. When a powerful electric current
is caused to pass through a highly refractory material, that is to
say, a material difficult to fuse, such as carbon, it raises it to an
extremely high temperature. A still higher temperature can be obtained
by causing a powerful current to flow between two carbon rods that
are first brought into contact, and then gradually separated from
each other, just as they are in the ordinary arc lights employed for
lighting the streets of our cities. In the latter way a temperature
that is estimated as high as 3,500° C. (6,332° F.), can be readily
obtained. Under these very high temperatures some very curious
chemical products have been obtained in electric furnaces. These
furnaces consist of small chambers made of highly refractory materials
closely surrounding the incandescent carbon, or the carbon voltaic
arc. Among some of the most curious of these products are artificially
produced diamonds.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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