The diamonds shaped beneath excessive strain and warmth deep within the Earth’s mantle. In the event you discover one, it’ll almost definitely seem like a metallic or glassy pebble slightly than a glittery lower gem that you just would possibly image in your thoughts. The volcanic soil additionally comprises amethyst, garnet, jasper, agate, and numerous kinds of quartz (and you’ll hold these, too).
The biggest diamond present in the US got here from this area—the 40.23-carat Uncle Sam diamond, found in 1924 earlier than the land grew to become a state park. In September 2021, California customer Noreen Wredberg discovered a 4.38-carat yellow diamond after trying to find two hours, and in 2024, a customer named Julien Navas discovered a 7.46-carat diamond on the park.
The park obtained over 180,000 guests in 2017, who discovered 450 licensed diamonds of varied colours. Of the reported diamond finds, 299 have been white, 72 have been brown, and 74 have been yellow.
Park employees instructed Mays that guests discover one or two diamonds every day, so “hold your expectations in examine,” she writes. Most diamonds found are in regards to the dimension of a paper match head, whereas a one-carat diamond is roughly the scale of a inexperienced pea. However even tiny diamonds carry the joys of discovery. Park employees present free identification companies, analyzing finds beneath loupes and confirming whether or not that glassy pebble is quartz or one thing extra helpful.
A Household Expertise
For these wanting to hitch the 1000’s who go to annually, the park makes it reasonably priced. Admission prices $15 for adults, $7 for kids ages 6–12. You may camp in a single day on the park and return to the sector at daybreak. Throughout summer time months, the park operates a small water park—an acknowledgment that diamond searching in Arkansas could be brutal, with a warmth index exceeding 110° Fahrenheit.
Typically rain turns the sector into mud, which skilled searchers favor as a result of it makes diamonds simpler to identify—however it could possibly make for a messy journey. As Mays put it, “Most guests depart with a handful of attention-grabbing rocks, some newfound data, and an pressing want for an extended bathe.”
In the event you don’t discover any diamonds on the park, don’t despair—you may nonetheless probably purchase a $200,000 diamond-making machine on Alibaba.
This story initially appeared on Ars Technica.