Diamond is an allotrope of carbon,where the carbon atoms are arranged in a variation of the face-centered cubic crystal structure called a diamond lattice. Diamond has remarkable optical characteristics. Small amounts of defects or impurities (about one per million of lattice atoms) color diamond blue (boron),yellow (nitrogen),brown (lattice defects),green (radiation exposure),purple,pink,orange or red. Diamond also has relatively high optical dispersion (ability to disperse light of different colors),which results in its characteristic luster. Most natural diamonds are formed at high-pressure high-temperature conditions existing at depths of 140 to 190 kilometers (87 to 120 mi) in the Earth mantle. Carbon-containing minerals provide the carbon source,and the growth occurs over periods from 1 billion to 3.3 billion years (25% to 75% of the age of the Earth | |
Licence : | Droits gérés |
Crédit: | Science Photo Library / Parker, David |
Taille de l’image : | 4384 px × 5200 px |
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