Article: Microscopic diamonds crack geologic mold. (diamonds found in continental crust challenge geological theory)

Tiny diamond grains, discovered in rocks from southwestern Norway, are forcing geologists to rethink cherished ideas about Earth's continents.

"This is a spectacular discovery. This is a wake-up call," comments geologist Stephen E. Haggerty, a diamond expert at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst.

The diamond fragments were found by Larissa F. Dobrzhinetskaya of the Russian Academy of Science in Moscow, who collaborated with Norwegian, British, and U.S. colleagues. The team discusses its work in the July Geology.

At only 20 to 80 micrometers in size, the diamonds are too small to see without a microscope. Yet they have dazzled scientists because ...

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