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Diamond
is a
solid form of carbon
with its atoms arranged in a
crystal structure
known as
diamond cubic
. It is
metastable
at
standard temperature and pressure
, converting to the
chemically stable
form
graphite
under those conditions but at a negligible rate. Diamond has the highest
hardness
and
thermal conductivity
of any natural material, properties that are useful in major industrial applications such as cutting and polishing tools. In addition to its industrial uses,
diamond is much sought-after as a gemstone
for use in jewelry. Most natural diamonds were formed between 1 billion and 3.5 billion years ago, at depths between 150 to 250 kilometres (93 to 155 mi) in the
Earth's mantle
. They were then carried to the surface more recently in volcanic eruptions and deposited in
igneous rocks
known as
kimberlites
and
lamproites
. This photograph shows the
cathodoluminescence
of a round-cut diamond, taken with the use of a
scanning electron microscope
. The image has a field of view of 3.45 millimetres (0.136 in).
Photograph credit: Pavel Somov
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