Crater of Diamonds State Park

History

In 1889, Arkansas state geologist John Branner investigated the site of an 1842 report noting an igneous intrusion amidst sedimentary rock near Murfreesboro. He determined it was a kimberlite, but without the associated diamonds. In early 1906 John Wesley Huddleston purchased the area, looking for gold. Instead, in August, he found two diamonds, 3- and 4.5-carats, as identified by George Frederick Kunz. Visiting the site with Henry Stephens Washington, Kunz noted of the 140 diamonds collected from the surface, "They are absolutely perfect and are equal to the finest stones [of Africa] or that were ever found in India...[E]conomical extraction [should be entirely] successful." The Arkansas Diamond Company was formed, headed by the Little Rock banker Samuel Reyburn, and Huddleston sold out for $36,000. Kunz and Washington prepared a mining plan for the 73 acre orebody, and initially 1400 diamonds were found in the regolith. Soon ten thousand prospectors started search the outlying area for diamonds, and for fifty cents a day, they could keep any diamonds found on the neighboring Mauney's property. The Mauneys also sold lots for the town of Kimberly, which soon contained stores, restaurants, and a hotel. In 1908, the Arkansas Diamond Company hired John Fuller, a former De Beers engineer. Yet money was wasted, and the thousands of diamonds mined were mainly less than half a carat, and the few large ones were industrial grade. In 1912, the mine closed, after running out of Financial capital. Only a watchman and assistants continued looking for diamonds

In 1912, Austin Q. Millar and his son Howard Millar, rented and bought surrounding Murfreesboro properties, including the Mauney place, and established an ore processing system. For the next seven years, they mined thousands of modest stones. On 13 January 1919, the operation ended after arson burned the entire operation.

In 1919, the Arkansas Diamond Company reorganized, and hire Stanley Zimmerman, another engineer. However, he condemned the mine, and the company failed a second time. The 3000 gem-quality diamonds that had been stockpiled were acquired by mortgage holder J.P. Morgan & Co. vice president Tom Cochran. The collection included the 40.23 carat Uncle Sam.

In the 1920s, the Arkansas Diamond Company was able to restart with a small operation in which some diamonds were recovered before operations ended in 1932.

In 1941, Charles Wilkinson bought the property. During WWII, Wilkinson sent Arkansas Governor Homer Martin Adkins, Senator Hattie Caraway, and the head of Schenck & Van Haelen jewelers, to convince President Franklin Roosevelt to reopen the pipe, since the country was in need of industrial diamonds. The United States Bureau of Mines excavated 435 tons from the first 50 feet, but by 1944, had found only 32 diamonds, averaging a quarter-carat each. With the war over, the mine closed.

In 1951 The Diamond Preserve opened as a diamond mining attraction, followed the next year by Millar's Crater of Diamonds. In 1956, Winifred Parker found the 15.36-carat white Star of Arkansas. In 1957, Ruth McRae found the 3.11-carat white Eisenhower Diamond. In 1969, Millar sold his property to General Earth Minerals. In 1971, the Arkansas State Parks, Recreation, and Travel Commission voted to acquire the property for a state park.

Geology

The Early Cretaceous Prairie Creek Diatreme outcrops include magmatic lamproite, pyroclastic lamproite where diamonds are recovered, and maar epiclastics. According to Howard and Hanson, "Lamproites form from partially melted mantle at depths exceeding 93 miles. The rising material is forced to the surface in volcanic pipes, bringing with it xenoliths and xenocryst diamonds from the harzburgitic peridotite or eclogite mantle regions where diamond formation is stabilized. In the instance of the Arkansas lamproites, the diamonds are of eclogite host origin."

In 2002, research by geologist Dennis Dunn (Ph.D. dissertation 2002) found that the diamondiferous epiclastic rocks range from olivine lamproite to phlogopite and olivine-rich tuffs. The chemistry of the mantle xenolith was used to derive maximum pressures of around 5 GPa and temperatures of 1000 °C for the upper mantle origin of the lamproitic magma.

Recreation

Crater of Diamonds State Park is known for the 37.5 acre plowed field on which visitors can hunt for diamonds and other semi-precious gems. On average, two diamonds are found per day by park visitors.

Diamond mine

Crater of Diamonds State Park is situated over an eroded lamproite volcanic pipe. The park is open to the public and, for a small fee, rockhounds and visitors can dig for diamonds and other gemstones. Park visitors find more than 600 diamonds each year of all colors and grades. As of 2015, over 75,000 diamonds had been found in the crater. Visitors may keep any gemstone they find regardless of its value.

In addition to diamonds, visitors may find semi-precious gems such as amethyst, agate, and jasper or approximately 40 other minerals such as garnet, phlogopite, quartz, baryte, and calcite.

Notable diamonds found

References

References

1. Staff of the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism. (February 14, 2011). "Crater of Diamonds State Park". The Central Arkansas Library System.
2. (2001). "Barren Lands: An Epic Search for Diamonds in the North American Arctic". Times Books.
3. "Crater of Diamonds State Park History". Arkansas State Parks.
4. (2008). "Geology of the Crater of Diamonds State Park and Vicinity, Pike County, Arkansas, State Park Series 3".
5. Dunn, Dennis Patrick. (December 2002). "Xenolith Mineralogy and Geology of the Prairie Creek Lamproite Province, Arkansas". The University of Texas at Austin.
6. (2005). "Crater of Diamonds State Park". Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism.
7. Clift, Zoie. (30 January 2007). "Crater of Diamonds State Park Enjoying Spotlight". Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism.
8. "Smithsonian's Great American Diamonds Exhibit".
9. (8 June 2022). "New Smithsonian Exhibit Showcases Extraordinary American Diamonds".
10. (February 19, 2021). "Crater of Diamonds State Park {{!}} Arkansas State Parks".
11. Edwards, Jay. (5 August 2019). "John Huddleston and his crater of diamonds".
12. (July 2022). "Discovering the Uncle Sam {{!}} Arkansas State Parks".
13. (2016-06-29). "5th largest diamond unearthed after 20 minutes at Crater of Diamonds State Park".
14. (1993-01-12). "New First Lady to wear uncut diamond at Inaugural BalL".
15. (1998-02-15). "How could he? How can she?".
16. Hunt, Lena. "Digging Arkansas".
17. (October 27, 2009). "Keep What You Find at the Crater of Diamonds Park".
18. KSLA Staff. "Large diamond found at Arkansas's Crater of Diamonds State Park".
19. Haymes, Linda. (2015-09-27). "Master diamond cutter transforms gem found in state park".
20. (2015-06-26). "Longmont woman finds hefty gem at Arkansas park".
21. De Almeida, Jacquie. (2015-08-26). "Canada's Embee Diamonds to cut 'Crater' diamond".
22. Sachs, Andrea. (2024-02-01). "French tourist unearths 7.46-carat diamond at Arkansas state park". Washington Post.
23. Southern, Keiran. (2024-01-25). "French tourist finds diamond in the rough at US state park".
24. Murray, Kelly. (2024-01-27). "Visitor finds huge 7.46-carat diamond in Crater of Diamonds State Park".
25. "Arkansas State Parks Guide". Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism.