Microscopic analyses of the meteorite’s tiny diamonds revealed they contain compounds that are produced under intense pressure, suggesting the diamonds formed far beneath the surface of a planet. If the latest findings are confirmed, the Almahata Sitta meteorite will be the only known remnants of one of these long-lost planets. Facebook Twitter Pinterest A piece of the Almahata Sitta meteorite. Typical meteorite diamonds are only a few millionths of a millimetre across and are thought to form in collisions with other space rocks that send brief but intense shockwaves through the carbon-rich asteroids. They conclude that the diamonds formed with the specks inside them, deep beneath the surface of an unknown world.

Source: The Guardian April 17, 2018 15:00 UTC