Abstract
The unusual shape of the Matryoshka diamond, which is a diamond crystal with a cavity containing a diamond crystal freely moving in it, continues to attract keen interest of many researchers in the context of its seemingly paradoxical origin for a mantle mineral. The discovery sparked lively discussions and multiple attempts to explain the nature of the unique shape of this crystal. A comprehensive mineralogical and crystallographic analysis of the unusual specimen, as well as other analogous diamond crystals, suggests that it was formed as a consequence of the mutual disorientation of the crystals during their growth and the presence of a twin of diamond subindividuals that formed both the core (inclusion) and the sheath (host) diamonds. The twinning planes (111) in the contacting crystals of the inclusion and the host were in a sub-perpendicular position to each other during their simultaneous growth. The captured diamond of the inclusion prevented the normal development of the diamond that became the host. The diamond host rapidly grew along the direction of its own twin boundary and constantly generated new growth layers, which eventually converged around the small captured twin crystal cluster during metric selection. Analysis of diamond crystals of similar shape from the Nyurbinskaya pipe and from elsewhere worldwide confirms the ontogenic model of their origin as a consequence of the capture of diamond inclusions that hampered the rapid growth of the twin crystal (spinel-law twins) in the direction of the twin boundary.
REFERENCES
A. Abduriyim and M. Kitamura, “Growth morphology and change in growth conditions of a spinel-twinned natural diamond,” J. Cryst. Growth 8, 237–239 (2002).
Z. V. Bartoshinskii and V. N. Kvasnitsa, Crystal Morphology of Diamond from Kimberlites (Naukova dumka, Kiev, 1991) [in Russian].
V. V. Beskovanov, “On the possible mechanism of the formation of matryoshka-diamond,” Geology and Mineral Resources of Northeast Russia. Proc. 12th All-Russian Scientific-Practical Conference Dedicated to the 65th Anniversary of the Diamond and Precious Metal Geology Institute SO RAN, Yakutsk, Russia, 2022 (SVFU, Yakutsk, 2022), pp. 283–286.
S. R. Boyd, I. Kiflawi, and G. S. Woods, “The relationship between infrared absorption and the A defect concentration in diamond,” Philos. Mag. 69 (6), 1149–1153 (1994).
S. R. Boyd, I. Kiflawi, and G. S. Woods, “Infrared absorption by the B nitrogen aggregate in diamond,” Philos. Mag. 72, 351–361 (1995).
A. Chepurov, V. Sonin, J.-M. Dereppe, E. Zhimulev, and A. Chepurov, “How do diamonds grow in metal melt together with silicate minerals? An experimental study of diamond morphology,” Eur. J. Mineral. 32, 41–55 (2020).
B. V. Chesnokov, Relative Age of Mineral Individuals and Aggregates (Nedra, Moscow, 1974) [in Russian].
R. M. Chrenko, N. M. Strong, and R. E. Tuft, “Dispersed paramagnetic nitrogen content of large laboratory diamonds,” Philos. Mag. 23 (182), 313–318 (1971).
G. Davies, “Aggregation of Nitrogen in Diamond,” Nature 228, 758 (1970).
G. I. Dementeva, “On the induction surfaces on crystals,” Zap. Vsesoyuz. Mineral. O-va 92 (4), 420–433 (1963).
A. E. Fersman, “Elements of differentiation of two simultaneously crystallizing matters,” Dokl. Akad. Nauk SSSR, Ser. A, 7–8 (1922).
A. E. Fersman, Diamond Crystallography (AN SSSR, Leningrad, 1955) [in Russian].
E. J. Field, The Properties of Diamond (Academic Press, London, 1979).
E. Fritsch, “Revealing the formation secrets of the Matryoshka diamond,” J. Gemmol. 37 (5), 528–533 (2021).
P. Hartman, “On the morphology of growth twins,” Z. Krist. 107, 225–237 (1956).
R. C. Kammerling, J. I. Koivula, M. L. Johnson, and E. Fritsch, “Gem news: diamond with mobile diamond inclusion,” Gems Gemol. 31 (3), 204 (1995).
T. V. Kedrova, I. N. Bogush, N. N. Zinchuk, L. D. Bardukhinov, A. N. Lipashova, and V. P. Afanasev, “Diamond placers of the Nakyn kimberlite field,” Russ. Geol. Geophys. 63 (3), 245–254 (2022).
A. D. Kharkiv, N. N. Zinchuk, and A. I. Kryuchkov, Bedrock Diamond Deposits of the World (Nedra, Moscow, 1998) [in Russian].
D. V. Konogorova, O. E. Kovalchuk, and L. D. Bardukhinov, “Unique diamond from the Nyurba pipe (Nakyn kimberlite field, Western Yakutia, Russia),” Prir. Resurs. Arkt. Subarkt. 25 (2), 45–55 (2020).
A. A. Kukharenko, Diamonds of the Urals (Gosgeoltekhizdat, Moscow, 1955) [in Russian].
Yu. L. Orlov, Diamond Mineralogy (Nauka, Moscow, 1984) [in Russian].
A. D. Pavlushin, L. D. Bardukhinov, and D. V. Konogorova, “Unique diamonds: Chinese lantern,” Nauka Pervykh Ruk 92 (3/4), 44–53 (2021).
D. Quick, “World-first “Matryoshka diamond” found in Russia,” New Atlas, accessed December 15, 2020 (2019).
N. Renfro and J. I. Koivula, “G&G Micro–World: Diamond with mobile green diamond inclusion,” Gems Gemol. 56 (1), 141 (2020).
I. I. Shafranovskii and D. P. Grigorev, “Contact surface of crystalline individuals,” Zap. Vsesoyuz. Mineral. O-va 77 (3), 185–193 (1948).
V. I. Shatalov, S. A. Grakhanov, A. N. Egorov, and Yu. V. Safyannikov, “Geological structure and diamond potential of ancient diamond placers of the Nakyn kimberlite field, Yakutian diamond province,” Vestn. Voronezhsk. Univ. Geol., No. 1, 185–201 (2002).
E. M. Smith, S. B. Shirey, F. Nestola, E. S. Bullock, J. Wang, S. H. Richardson, and W. Wang “Large gem diamonds from metallic liquid in Earth’s deep mantle,” Science 354 (6318), 1403–1405 (2016).
N. V. Sobolev, “On the nature of yellow color of diamond,” Geol. Geofiz., No. 12, 1518 (1969).
E. V. Sobolev and V. I. Lisovain, “On nature of diamond properties of intermediate type,” Dokl. Akad. Nauk SSSR 204 (1), 88–90 (1972).
N. V. Sobolev, Yu. V. Seretkin, A. M. Logvinova, A. D. Pavlushin, and S. S. Ugapeva, “Crystallographic orientation and geochemical specifics of mineral inclusions in diamonds,” Russ. Geol. Geophys. 61 (5–6), 634–649 (2020).
V. G. Vins and A. P. Eliseev, “Effect of annealing at high pressures and temperatures on the defect-admixture structure of natural diamonds,” Inorg. Mater. Appl. Res. 4, 303–310 (2010).
Yu. K. Vorobev, Tendencies in the Growth and Evolution of Mineral Crystals (Nauka, Moscow, 1990) [in Russian].
W. Wang, E. Yazawa, S. Persaud, E. Myagkaya, U. D’Haenens–Johansson, and T. M. Moses, “Lab Notes: formation of the “Matryoshka” diamond from Siberia,” Gems Gemol. 56 (1), 127–129 (2020).
A. M. Zaitsev, “Optical properties of diamond: A data handbook. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg, 502 (2001).
A. M. Zaitsev, A. A. Gippius, and B. C. Vavilov, “Lyuminestsentsiya azotsoderzhashchikh primesno-defektnykh kompleksov v ionno-implantirovannykh sloyakh prirodnogo almaza. Fizika i tekhnika poluprovodnikov. 16(3), 397–403 (1982).
E. I. Zhimulev, A. I. Chepurov, E. F. Sinyakova, V. M. Sonin, A. A. Chepurov, and N. P. Pokhilenko, “Diamond crystallization in the Fe–Co–S–C and Fe–Ni–S–C systems and the role of sulfide-metal melts in the genesis of diamond. Geochem. Int. 50(3), 205–216 (2012).
N. N. Zinchuk and V. I. Koptil, “Tipomorfizm almazov Sibirskoi platformy. M.: Nedra, 603 s (2003).
AKNOWLEDGMENTS
The authors thank the following staff of PJSC ALROSA: Chief Expert L.A. Demidova; and geologists at the Vilyuiskaya Exploration Expedition L.D. Bardykhinov, T.V. Kedrova, I.V. Glushkova, A.N. Lipashova, and O.V. Danilova. We appreciate valuable comments on the manuscript provided by Dr. E.I. Zhemulev and Dr. A.A. Chepurov.
Funding
This study was carried out under government-financed research project for the Diamond and Precious Metal Geology Institute, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, and the curriculum of the post-graduate student at the Faculty of Geology of Lomonosov Moscow State University.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding authors
Ethics declarations
The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.
Additional information
Translated by E. Kurdyukov
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Pavlushin, A.D., Konogorova, D.V. Crystallogenetic Causes of the Unique Shape of the Matryoshka Diamond: The Effect of Capturing a Diamond Inclusion of Twin Diamond Crystals. Geochem. Int. 61, 252–264 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1134/S0016702923030102
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S0016702923030102