New research shows seawater involved in making diamonds beneath NWT – U of A

August 18, 2015

More than just a pretty stone—researchers link formation of diamonds to ancient seawater in the Northwest Territories.

Some of the rich diamond deposits in the Northwest Territories may have been formed as a result of ancient seawater streaming into the deep roots of the continent, transported by plate tectonics, suggests new research from an international team of scientists in Canada, the U.S. and the U.K. The discovery further highlights the role played by plate tectonics in “recycling” surface materials into deep parts of the earth, building on the groundbreaking discovery by a University of Alberta team last year of vast quantities of water trapped more than 500 kilometres underground.

Read More: https://uofa.ualberta.ca/science/science-news/2015/august/new-research-shows-seawater-involved-in-making-diamonds-beneath-nwt