Diamond hunters may have a simple and powerful way of finding rich diamond deposits, thanks to a rare African plant!
A little-known species of African plant has been identified that only grows on sites of diamond-bearing rock, scientists say.
The thorny, palm-like plant in Liberia seems to grow only on top of kimberlite pipes - columns of volcanic rock hundreds of meters across that extend deep into Earth, left by ancient eruptions that exhumed diamonds from the mantle.
The plant, called Pandanus candelabrum, is the first indicator species for diamond-bearing kimberlite, said Stephen Haggerty, a researcher at Florida International University in Miami.
Although geologists have long known that where there is kimberlite, there are often diamonds, thanks to Pandanus candelabrum there is now an easy way of finding the kimberlite too.
Haggerty suspects that the plant has adapted to kimberlite soils, which are rich in magnesium, potassium and phosphorus, Science magazine reported.
"It sounds like a very good fertiliser, which it is," said Haggerty, who is also the chief exploration officer of Youssef Diamond Mining Company, which owns mining concessions in Liberia.
Kimberlite pipes bring the gems to the surface in eruptions that sometimes rise faster than the speed of sound.
According to Haggerty, of the over 6000 known kimberlite pipes in the world, about 600 contain diamonds and only about 60 are rich enough in quality diamonds worth mining.
If researchers can learn to spot the plant via aerial survey, it could help countries in the area develop new diamond mines without having to fight their way through dense forests, Haggerty said.
The finding was published in the journal Economic Geology.
