fautrever.com

Tucked in the southwest corner of Arkansas lies a unique geologic feature, one so rare and valuable that its story is filled with intrigue. A few miles from the small town of Murfreesboro, near the banks of the Little Missouri River (Little Mo), lies the remains of a 95 million year-old lamproite volcanic pipe.

What is so important about this small bit of rare volcanism? Lamproite and kimberlite pipes are the only places in the world where gem-quality diamonds are found.

The vast majority of diamonds are formed 90-120 miles down in the mantle of the earth (some small, industrial-quality diamonds are formed by meteor impacts). These diamonds have all been escorted to the surface of the earth by volcanic pipes. Of course, the most famous diamond bearing pipes are in Africa, but India, Australia and now possibly Canada are also major sources of high quality diamonds. Of the known volcanic pipes only one in two hundred contain diamonds worthy of a jeweler. Of all the lamproite pipes in the world only the Argyle Mine in Australia is commercially viable.

The one in Arkansas might be too but we’ll never know. For the whole mysterious, confusing saga that began in the late 1970s and is still unresolved (involving local, state and federal governments as well as small and large mining ventures—Anaconda and Kennecott to name a couple of the biggies—environmentalists, DeBeers, spies, and tampering with evidence) read this article. For the rest of you, suffice it to say that the place now known as Crater of Diamonds State Park has been full of controversy ever since the first diamond was found here in 1906.

A farmer by the name of John Wesley Huddleston had only recently purchased the land when he noticed some shiny stuff in the soil. After picking up a couple of the small, yellowish stones he took them to his tool shed and put them under his grinder. Smart cookie, he’d been told that his grinder would work on everything but diamonds. When the stones wore a groove in his grinder he saddled up his horse and rode into town. The folks at the bank laughed him out the door so he sent the stones to a jeweler. Soon the Smithsonian Institute came out and verified not only his diamonds but his diamond bearing soil. Huddleston made a tidy profit when he sold his pig farm for $36,000. As always seems to happen in these stories, Huddleston later died alone and penniless.

In the next 60 years the property went through many hands, all of whom tried diamond mining in some form and all of whom failed. The state of Arkansas finally acquired the property in 1972 and opened it as a finders-keepers diamond mine. Crater of Diamonds is the only place in the world that you can keep what you find (without running the risk of being shot). The 888 acre park easily encompasses the 80 acre crater. The park regularly plows a 37 acre section near the center of the crater and that is where people are allowed to search.

Now, if you know me you know I don’t like diamonds, for several reasons: the environmental destruction wrought by diamond mines, the abysmal labor practices the diamond companies use, and the DeBeers monopoly and manipulation of the market. But, the thought of playing in the dirt and finding my very own little gem appealed to me. So, we camped at the park and I got dirty.

Diamond fever? The displays in the Diamond Discovery Center (really just the Visitor Center, but it sounds cool, doesn’t it?) try to infect you with it. In 1924 the Uncle Sam Diamond was found at the crater. At 40.23 carats it was (and still is) the largest diamond ever found in the U.S. The word carat comes to us from India where the seed of the carob tree was once used to measure diamonds, currently a carat is standardized at 1/150 of a Troy ounce, about 5 carats equal one gram.

On display is the Strawn-Wagner Diamond that was found at the park in 1990. After cutting it was still over one carat and it received a triple zero grade from the American Gemological Society, the highest grade ever given. Since the park was established over 25,000 diamonds have been found with people finding an average of two diamonds a day. The crater has been called the eighth largest diamond-bearing surface site in the world. People of all ages, including children and in one reported case, even a dog have found diamonds there. Infected yet?

There are many ways to search: dry screening, wet screening, sluicing and surface searching. Lance and I rented a screen at the Diamond Discovery Center and plunked ourselves down on the greenish lamproite soil. How hard could it be? We just had to dig in the hard, clumpy soil, screen it and be on the lookout for a small stone (about the size of a match head), that glints like silver, is white, yellow or brown and doesn’t have any dirt sticking to it (since raw diamonds have an oily, slick exterior nothing sticks to them).

We tried dry screening, wet screening and surface searching and we kept everything even remotely crystal-like that day and on the several subsequent days that I searched alone. On the last day I took our bag of potential diamonds to the Diamond Discovery Center to have them verified (the park will verify and certify your diamond for free) and nada, nothing, zip, zero, zilch.

All our hard work, all our filthy clothes, all the rental and entrance fees for nothing! Well, not entirely nothing, here’s what I did find: an old hammer, a small shovel, a penny, a diamond cut quartz crystal (the Ranger said parents buy them in the gift shop and sprinkle them on the ground for their kids to find), jasper, agate, garnet, quartz, calcite, and mica. Truly everything but a diamond!

I did see some diamonds that others found, so I know they exist. We heard that in nearby Murfreesboro you can buy diamonds found at the park, they sell for about $10 a carat. I guess we could have purchased one but it just didn’t seem that important. The way I figure, it works one of two ways; either you just plain get lucky and find one next to your foot on the path (true story) or you come every day and work hard all day and finally find one (also a true story). No matter, it was still an enjoyable time.

When not at the crater we explored the nature trails where we encountered several gorgeous butterflies (a different kind of natural gem) and spent time wandering the banks of the Little Mo. Arkansas may use the diamond as a state symbol but it is called “The Natural State” because there is so much nature to enjoy.

Photos: View our photographs from Crater of Diamonds State Park, Arkansas.

Notes: Lance, Bailey, Rookie, and I stayed in our trusty home-on-wheels, Sol Seeker, at Crater of Diamonds State Park from 03/25/2007 to 03/30/2007.

Bonus photo!

I just couldn’t leave this one out!