Accessibility links

minerals minerals
Stories About

minerals
Big Diamonds Bring Scientists A Message From Superdeep Earth

Geologists studied these scraps of diamond leftover from the shaping of big jewels. Evan Smith/Gemological Institute of America hide caption

toggle caption
Evan Smith/Gemological Institute of America

The Two-Way

Big Diamonds Bring Scientists A Message From Superdeep Earth

When scientists got their hands on a collection of the world's biggest gem diamonds, they found something surprising inside — clues about what sits hundreds of miles beneath our feet.

Big Diamonds Bring Scientists A Message From Superdeep Earth

Listen · 2:35
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/505386423/506076773" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
What Lurks Beneath The Earth's Surface

Shinichi Kuramoto of the Center for Deep Earth Exploration in Japan displays a replica of earthquake fault rock. TOSHIFUMI KITAMURA/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
TOSHIFUMI KITAMURA/AFP/Getty Images

The Protojournalist

What Lurks Beneath The Earth's Surface

Water pools, oilfields, undersea volcanoes. By exploring the planet's interior, we are making new, unexpected discoveries and learning more about life above the surface — and perhaps deep within ourselves.

Browse the section archive or