A French visitor, Julien Navas, stumbled upon a rare 7.46 carat diamond while walking in a plowed field at Crater of Diamonds State Park in southwestern Arkansas. The park’s unique setup allows visitors to search for gemstones and keep what they find.
The park’s volcanic feature, a pipe that blasted deep rocks toward the surface during an ancient eruption, has been mapped by geologists. They explained how erosion keeps revealing fresh material, making it easier to spot diamonds after rain.
To succeed in finding diamonds, park staff recommend searching after rains and scanning the ground for shiny, metallic luster. The diamond Navas found is a type of lamproite, which can carry crystals formed under high pressure in Earth’s mantle.
The park registers many small stones from casual searches, but most guests find stones far under one carat. However, with persistence and timing, visitors can improve their search results. Crater of Diamonds State Park allows visitors to keep any rock or mineral they find and identifies the three most common diamond colors on site as white, brown, and yellow.
This discovery is part of a long history of diamond finds at the park, including notable stones from public visitors and early miners. The park’s transparency and simple, science-based tips keep the public informed and motivated to visit.
Source: https://www.earth.com/news/tourist-finds-a-diamond-the-size-of-a-piece-of-gum-in-arkansas-state-park