The occurrence of diamonds in Arkansas continues to intrigue geologists. About 100 million years ago a deep-source volcanic eruption occurred in this area, bringing material from the mantle rapidly up to the surface. The rising magma was rich in gases that expanded to thousands of times the volume that they occupied while under the enormous…

The Crater of Diamonds is the only producing diamond mine in the United States, and many people who collect minerals or gemstones would like to own a genuine United States diamond. This patronage of the locality gives a small diamond found at the Park a value that is much higher than a diamond of similar size and…

Although most stones found are small, some spectacular specimens have been found. The “Uncle Sam Diamond,” the largest diamond ever found in North America, was found there in 1924. This pale brown, 40.23 carat stone was found in 1924 by W. O. Bassum. It was cut into an emerald-cut gem weighing 12.42 carats which was…

In the early 1950s the property was opened as a public pay-to-prospect mine, and in 1951 the name was changed to the “Crater of Diamonds.” The State of Arkansas purchased the property in 1972 and began operating it as “Crater of Diamonds State Park.” It is still open year-round as a pay-to-prospect mine visited by…

The big diamond rushes in Africa occurred in the late 1800s, and information about the deposits there was widely published. Prior to Huddlestone’s discovery, geologists at the Arkansas State Geological Survey suspected that diamonds might occur in the greenish peridotite soils near Murfreesboro because they were similar to the soils above the African diamond deposits. They did fieldwork…

Diamonds were first discovered at this location in 1906 when John Huddlestone found two strange crystals in the soil of his farm. He didn’t realize that his farm was right above a volcanic pipe filled with lamproite (a volcanic rock formed from partially melted mantle materials which sometimes contains diamond-bearing rocks known as xenoliths that have been…

This diamond mine is located near Murfreesboro, Arkansas. For a fee of a few dollars you can enter the mine, search all day and keep any diamonds that you find. In addition to diamonds, you might find one of the many colorful gemstones that occur naturally there. These include: amethyst, agate, jasper, garnet, peridot, hematite and many others. The diamonds at the Park occur in…

If you have a strong interest in gemstones, you would probably love to have an opportunity to mine for diamonds yourself. Here’s where you can go – it is the only producing diamond mine in the United States and the only diamond mine in the world where you can be the miner. Diamonds Found at the Mine: This small…