How Does a Diamond Form in the Earth’s Crust?

A diamond is like a super-strong ice cube that forms deep inside the Earth over millions of years.

Imagine you have a big jar full of sugar cubes, these are like carbon particles. Now, if you put this jar in an oven and turn it up really high, like 1,000 degrees, and squeeze it really hard for a very long time, something amazing happens: the sugar cubes melt together and become a solid, clear gem, just like a diamond!

This is what happens deep underground. Carbon gets squeezed and heated under the Earth’s crust, turning into a diamond.

Diamonds are made of the same stuff as charcoal or graphite, but they're much harder because of how tightly packed the carbon atoms are.

It's like taking a bunch of marshmallows and squishing them so hard that they turn into a rock-solid block. That’s how diamonds become harder than steel!

Once the pressure and heat stop, these diamonds can travel up through the Earth to be found in rivers or mined from the ground, just like treasure!