What are lamproite pipes?

Lamproite pipes are like giant tunnels that bring super hot rock from deep inside Earth up to the surface.

Imagine you're playing with a toy volcano, when it erupts, lava comes out and makes new land. Lamproite pipes work in a similar way, but instead of just lava, they carry special kinds of rocks called lamproite, which are full of tiny shiny bits like diamonds or other precious stones.

Deep inside Earth, there’s a layer of hot rock that’s under a lot of pressure. Sometimes, this hot rock finds a weak spot and starts to move upward, kind of like when you push your finger through playdough from the bottom up. As it moves, it creates a pipe all the way to the surface.

These pipes are like super highways for rocks. When they reach the top, they can make big eruptions or just slowly bring up rocks over time. Some of these rocks have diamonds, which are formed deep in Earth under high pressure and temperature, just like how you might press a sugar cube with your hand to flatten it!

Lamproite pipes are nature’s way of giving us treasures from deep inside the planet, without needing any magic, just a little bit of pressure and heat!