Carbon Under Pressure

Open to everyone until Wednesday, September 30

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Deep in Earth’s mantle, carbon atoms are squeezed by enormous heat and pressure. They pack together into a rigid, repeating lattice, and that lattice is a diamond.

In the picture

One carbon atom: a single grey sphere in the group
Pressure: arrows pushing inward on the group from every side
The mantle: the glowing hot layer deep below the surface
The lattice: spheres locked in a fixed repeating pattern, each touching its neighbours

Examples

Graphite in a pencil lead, also pure carbon but in flat sheets
The clear faceted stone in a diamond ring

Key takeaways

Diamond and graphite are both pure carbon; only the way the atoms are arranged differs.
Extreme heat and pressure deep underground lock carbon atoms into the diamond lattice.