Arkansas Hosts the Planet’s Solely Public Diamond Mine

The diamonds shaped underneath excessive strain and warmth deep within the Earth’s mantle. In case you discover one, it’s going to almost definitely appear to be a metallic or glassy pebble moderately than a glittery reduce gem that you just may image in your thoughts. The volcanic soil additionally comprises amethyst, garnet, jasper, agate, and numerous kinds of quartz (and you’ll preserve these, too).

The biggest diamond present in the USA got here from this area—the 40.23-carat Uncle Sam diamond, found in 1924 earlier than the land turned a state park. In September 2021, California customer Noreen Wredberg discovered a 4.38-carat yellow diamond after looking for two hours, and in 2024, a customer named Julien Navas discovered a 7.46-carat diamond on the park.

The park acquired over 180,000 guests in 2017, who discovered 450 licensed diamonds of assorted colours. Of the reported diamond finds, 299 have been white, 72 have been brown, and 74 have been yellow.

Park employees instructed Mays that guests discover one or two diamonds day by day, so “preserve your expectations in test,” she writes. Most diamonds found are in regards to the measurement of a paper match head, whereas a one-carat diamond is roughly the dimensions of a inexperienced pea. However even tiny diamonds carry the joys of discovery. Park employees present free identification companies, analyzing finds underneath loupes and confirming whether or not that glassy pebble is quartz or one thing extra invaluable.

A Household Expertise

For these wanting to hitch the hundreds who go to annually, the park makes it reasonably priced. Admission prices $15 for adults, $7 for youngsters ages 6–12. You may camp in a single day on the park and return to the sector at daybreak. Throughout summer time months, the park operates a small water park—an acknowledgment that diamond looking in Arkansas will be brutal, with a warmth index exceeding 110° Fahrenheit.

Typically rain turns the sector into mud, which skilled searchers want as a result of it makes diamonds simpler to identify—however it may make for a messy journey. As Mays put it, “Most guests go away with a handful of attention-grabbing rocks, some newfound data, and an pressing want for a protracted bathe.”

In case you don’t discover any diamonds on the park, don’t despair—you would nonetheless doubtlessly purchase a $200,000 diamond-making machine on Alibaba.

This story initially appeared on Ars Technica.