Uranus may be packed with diamonds

[Ian David]

Diamond Oceans Possible on Uranus, Neptune
By melting and resolidifying diamond, scientists explain how such liquid diamond oceans may be possible

THE GIST:

* Like ice on water, solid diamond floats on liquid diamond.
* The finding explains possible liquid diamond oceans on other planets.
* Diamond oceans may cause off-kilter planetary tilts.

By Eric Bland | Fri Jan 15, 2010 07:14 AM ET

Oceans of liquid diamond, filled with solid diamond icebergs, could be floating on Neptune and Uranus, according to a recent article in the journal Nature Physics.

The research, based on the first detailed measurements of the melting point of diamond, found diamond behaves like water during freezing and melting, with solid forms floating atop liquid forms. The surprising revelation gives scientists a new understanding about diamonds and some of the most distant planets in our solar system.

"Diamond is a relatively common material on Earth, but its melting point has never been measured," said Eggert. "You can't just raise the temperature and have it melt, you have to also go to high pressures, which makes it very difficult to measure the temperature." Other groups, notably scientists from Sandia National Laboratories, successfully melted diamond years ago, but they were unable to measure the pressure and temperature at which the diamond melted.

Diamond is an incredibly hard material. That alone makes it difficult to melt. But diamond has another quality that makes it even harder to measure its melting point. Diamond doesn't like to stay diamond when it gets hot. When diamond is heated to extreme temperatures it physically changes, from diamond to graphite.

More:
http://news.discovery.com/space/diamond-oceans-jupiter-uranus.html

Hat-tip to: http://twitter.com/Dominority/status/8029672153

[alsame]

1. Pat Robertson is on his way! nt

[Bitwit1234]

7. I wans't thinking of Robertson I was hoping all the republicans

crowded the first space ship. Then they could get all the money they wanted. And never be heard from again.

[alsame]

9. He has a history with diamond mines, in Liberia. That's why I

thought of him first. But yes, getting rid of the entire GOP would be preferable.

[rhett o rick]

20. Isnt his uranus already stuffed with diamonds? nt

[ret5hd]

2. Uranus May Be Packed With Diamonds...

(But Your Shit Still Stinks)

WHAT A SONG TITLE!

[tekisui]

4. !

:rofl:

[golddigger]

5. Haha!

:spray:

[Dogmudgeon]

14. It's got a good beat ... you can dance to it.

That's a Bandstand 90, Mr. Clark!

--d!

[Coventina]

3. DUzy!!

:rofl:

[mike_c]

6. best. headline. evah!

Uranus may be packed with diamonds! :rofl:

[eirteacher]

8. YooPeeDoo

YooPeeDoo My ass is packed with diamonds!!!
I am going to cancel my stimulus package and join the Repuck party.

[zbdent]

10. would explain why I haven't been sitting comfortably ...

maybe now Mrs. ZBDent and I can retire ...

[thereismore]

11. Watch the diamond stocks plummet. nt

[rasputin1952]

12. Everyone beat me to this...

:rofl:

[EOTE]

13. Can someone explain this to me?

The scientist says "You can't just raise the temperature and have it melt, you have to also go to high pressures,". Don't high pressures make something MORE difficult to melt? Isn't that why when something is freeze dried, a vacuum is used to assist in the sublimation of the ice crystals into a gas?

[Jim__]

15. At "low" pressure, diamond melts into graphite.

Here's a blurb that mentions that.

[Arugula Latte]

16. It pays to be a tightass!

[jberryhill]

23. Depends on the shape of the phase diagram...

Water is sort of a special case, but think about how and why ice skates work.

[Odin2005]

17. Damn, that's some bad constipation.

[Gregorian]

18. I beg your pardon!

[Lorien]

19. De Beers will be right on over to pull all those rocks out of Uranus! nt

[jgraz]

21. I hate it when I miss these awesome straight lines...

:banghead:

[jberryhill]

22. People Say She's Crazy, She's Got Diamonds On The.... WHAT?

Man, now I know why those guys from Ladysmith Black Mambazo walked that way...

[Fly by night]

24. Why yes, my anus is packed with diamonds ...

... and my urine smells like rosewater.

How did you know?

[Orsino]

25. TSA screener: "Would you please step over to the side?" n/t

[ConcernedCanuk]

26. nope . .

.
.
.



NOW what?

:freak: