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Crater of Diamonds State Park is a 911-acre (369 ha) Arkansas state park in Pike County, Arkansas, in the United States. The park features a 37.5-acre (15.2 ha) plowed field, the world's only diamond-bearing site accessible to the public. Diamonds have continuously been discovered in the field since 1906, including the Strawn-Wagner Diamond.[2] The site became a state park in 1972 after the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism purchased the site from the Arkansas Diamond Company and Ozark Diamond Mines Corporation, who had previously operated the site as a tourist attraction.[1]

Crater of Diamonds State Park
Digging for diamonds, 2007
Location of Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas Show map of Arkansas Crater of Diamonds State Park (the United States) Show map of the United States
Location	Murfreesboro, Pike County, Ouachita Mountains, Arkansas, United States
Coordinates	34°1′59″N 93°40′13″W
Area	911 acres (369 ha)[1]
Established	1972[1]
Named for	Diamond mine
Governing body	Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism
Website	Crater of Diamonds State Park

History

This section needs additional citations for verification. (December 2018)

In August 1906, John Huddleston found two strange crystals on the surface of his 243-acre (98 ha) farm near Murfreesboro, Arkansas. The following month, Huddleston and his wife, Sarah, sold an option on the 243 acres (98 ha) to a group of Little Rock investors headed by banker-attorney Samuel F. (Sam) Reyburn, who undertook a careful, deliberate test of the property.[3]

After 1906, several attempts at commercial diamond mining failed. The only significant yields came from the original surface layer, where erosion over a long period of time had concentrated diamonds. In the early period, 1907–1932, yields from this "black gumbo" surface material often exceeded thirty carats per hundred loads (50 mg/Mg) (standard 1600-pound tramload of the early period). Highest yields from the undisturbed subsurface material (described as kimberlite or volcanic breccia by the U.S. Geological Survey) were two carats per hundred loads (3.5 mg/Mg) in 1908 and about two carats per hundred short tons (4.4 mg/Mg) in 1943−1944.

Because equipment of the early period usually included bottom screens with mesh larger than 1/16 inch (1.6 mm), thousands of smaller diamonds were allowed to pass through. The bulk of these ended up in drainage cuts of varying depths all over the field and in the big natural drains on the east and west edges of the diamond-bearing section of the volcanic deposit (approximately 35 acres (14 ha) of volcanic breccia on the east side of the 80-acre (32 ha) pipe). In recent decades, those small diamonds have been fruitful for recreational diamond diggers.

Soon after the first diamond was found, a "diamond rush" created a boomtown atmosphere around Murfreesboro. According to old tales, hotels in Murfreesboro turned away 10,000 people in the space of a year. Supposedly, these aspiring diamond miners formed a tent city near the mine, which was named "Kimberly" in honor of the famous Kimberley diamond district in South Africa. On the other hand, all available evidence indicates that the Town of Kimberly originated as a land-development venture in 1909, initiated by Mallard M. Mauney and his oldest son, Walter, on their land immediately south of Murfreesboro. The project failed soon afterward as the speculative boom generated by the diamond discovery collapsed. Today, the Kimberly area is almost all cow pasture, owned by Mauney's descendants.

During WWII the U.S. government took control of the mine and granted a contract to Glen Martin to extract this rare war materiel. Although diamonds were obtained, and the concentration of diamonds similar to other producing mines, this was not fully successful as a venture due to the large costs involved with U.S. labor. After the war, the property was returned to the previous owners. From 1951 to 1972, the crater hosted several private tourist attractions. The first, The Diamond Preserve of the United States, lasted about one year. In late 1951, Howard A. Millar stepped in and salvaged the infant tourist industry. In April 1952, Millar and his wife, Modean, launched the Crater of Diamonds attraction. Howard Millar, an accomplished writer and promoter, stirred unprecedented national publicity and drew enough visitors to sustain the operation. In March 1956, a visitor found the Star of Arkansas on the cleared surface. The rare beauty weighed 15.33 carats (3.066 g). Later, Roscoe Johnston opened a rival tourist attraction, the Arkansas Diamond Mine, on the main part of the diamond field.

The rivalry between the two tourist operations left both in a weakened position. In 1970, the entire volcanic formation was consolidated by a private partnership, which then reassigned the property to General Earth Minerals (GEM) of Dallas, Texas. GEM expected to turn the property over for a profit, but ended up heavily indebted to GF Industries (GFI) of Dallas. Upon default, GFI took the property in July 1971.

GEM consolidated the tourist operation as well as the property. GFI continued the attraction until it sold the 80-acre (32 ha) volcanic formation and some 800 acres (320 ha) to the State of Arkansas in March 1972 for $750,000. The tourist operation continued as the centerpiece of Crater of Diamonds State Park.[3]

Due in part to the park, and also because Arkansas was the first place outside South Africa where diamonds were found at their original volcanic source, this special gem has come to be associated with the Natural State. A large diamond symbol has dominated the state flag since 1912. The Arkansas State Quarter, released in 2003, bears a diamond on its face, as do the current license plates.

Geology

The Crater of Diamonds volcanic pipe is part of a 95-million-year-old eroded volcano. The deeply sourced lamproite magma, from the upper mantle, brought the diamonds to the surface. The diamonds had crystallized in the cratonic root of the continent long before and were sampled by the magma as it rose to the surface.

The geology of the area and the diamond formation process itself were the subjects of the Ph.D. dissertation of Roland Everett Langford in 1973 of the University of Georgia. In it, he proposed a gas phase reaction from the reduction of carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide in the upper mantle. The dissertation was on display at the state park for many years.

More recent research by geologist Dennis Dunn (Ph.D. dissertation 2002) established that the diamondiferous epiclastic rocks range from olivine lamproite to phlogopite and olivine-rich tuffs. Mantle xenolith chemistry were used to derive maximum pressures of ~5 GPa and temperatures of 1000 °C for the upper mantle origin of the lamproitic magma.[4]

The lamproite diamond source is unusual, as almost all diamonds are mined from kimberlite and from alluvial deposits of diamonds weathered from kimberlite. The most prominent lamproite diamond source is the Argyle diamond mine in Australia.

Recreation

Crater of Diamonds State Park is known for the 37.5-acre (15.2 ha) 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.[5] A visitor center contains information about the geology of the park, a gift shop, and a cafe. Interested visitors can continue to the Diamond Discovery Center, which offers an interpretive look at prospecting for diamonds. The Diamond Springs aquatic playground, enclosed pavilion, trails, and picnic areas surround the diamond field.[2] The park offers campers 47 Class AAA facilities near the Little Missouri River.[5]

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.[6] Over 29,000 diamonds have been found in the crater since it became a state park. Visitors may keep any gemstone they find regardless of its value.[6]

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

Notable diamonds found

Year	Finder	Diamond Name	Weight (carat)	Weight (gram)	Color	Notes
1917	Lee J. Wagner of the Arkansas Diamond Company		17.86	3.572	canary yellow	on display in the National Museum of Natural History
1924	Wesley Oley Basham	Uncle Sam	40.23	8.046		largest diamond ever discovered in the United States
1964	John Pollock	Star of Murfreesboro	34.25	6.850
1975	W. W. Johnson	Amarillo Starlight	16.37	3.274		Largest found since 1972. Cut into a 7.54 carats (1.508 g) marquise[7]
1977	George Stepp	Kahn Canary	4.25	0.850	canary yellow	Naturally flawless. Remains uncut in dodecahedral "pillow" shape[7]
1978	Betty Lamle	Lamle Diamond	8.61	1.722		fourth largest found since 1972
1981	Carroll Blankenship	Star of Shreveport	8.82	1.764		second largest found since 1972
1990	Shirley Strawn	Strawn-Wagner Diamond	3.09	0.618		cut to 1.09 carats (218 mg) in 1997; graded a "perfect" 0/0/0 by the American Gem Society in 1998, making it the first diamond ever to receive such an AGS grading. Currently on exhibit at the park.
1991	Joe Fedzora	Bleeding Heart Diamond	6.23	1.246	brownish yellow
1997	Richard Cooper	Cooper Diamond	6.72	1.344	deep purplish-brown/cognac	new owners from Florida since 2008
2006	Marvin Culver	Okie Dokie Diamond	4.21	0.842	deep canary yellow	Flawless. Seen on Today Show, MSNBC, Inside Edition and Travel Channel and published in Lost Treasure magazine (twice), Western and Eastern Treasures magazine, Mineralogical Record and Rocks & Minerals.
2006	Bob Wehle	Sunshine Diamond	5.47	1.094	deep canary yellow	flawless
2006	Donald and Brenda Roden	Roden Diamond	6.35	1.270	honey brown
2007	Chad Johnson		4.38	0.876	tea-colored	[8]
2008	Denis Tyrrell	Kimberly Diamond	4.42	0.884		[9]
2008	Richard Burke	Sweet Caroline	4.68	0.936	white	[10]
2009	Glenn Worthington	Easter Sunrise Diamond	2.04	0.408	yellow	[11]
2010	Glenn Worthington	Brown Rice Diamond	2.13	0.426	light brown	[12][full citation needed]
2011	Beth Gilbertson	Illusion Diamond	8.66	1.732	white	third-largest diamond found since 1972, and largest in almost 30 years[13][14]
2013	Michael Detlaff	God’s Glory Diamond	5.16	1.032	honey brown	[15]
2013	Tana Clymer	God's Jewel	3.85	0.770	canary yellow	[16]
2014	Brandon Kalenda	Jax Diamond	2.89	0.578	white	[17][18]
2014	David Anderson	Limitless Diamond	6.19	1.238	white	[19]
2015	Susie Clark	Hallelujah Diamond	3.69	0.738	white	[20]
2015	Bobbie Oskarson	Esperanza Diamond	8.52	1.704	Type IIa, D IF	The fifth largest diamond found since 1972 and the first of the exceptional Arkansas diamonds to be cut and polished in Arkansas by Canadian master diamond cutter and educator Mike Botha[21][22][23]
2017	Kalel Langford	Superman's Diamond	7.44	1.488	dark brown	[24]
2019	Josh Lanik	Lanik Family Diamond	2.12	0.424	dark brown	[25]
2019	Miranda Hollingshead	Caro Avenger	3.72	0.744	light yellow	[26]
2020	Kevin Kinard	Kinard Friendship Diamond	9.07	1.814	brandy brown	[27]
2021	Noreen Wredberg	Lucy's Diamond	4.38	0.876	lemonade yellow	Found by a California couple in their first hour of searching, named after their kitten.[28][29]
2022	Adam Hardin		2.38	0.476	brown	[30]

See also

• Kelsey Lake Diamond Mine, now-defunct similar commercial operation in Colorado
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Pike County, Arkansas
• List of diamonds

References

External links

• Official website
• Official State Park Timeline
• State Park latest diamond finds
• Arkansas Diamonds: Dreams, Myths, and Reality, History of the Crater. The Pike County Archives and History Society
• Rockhounding Arkansas page on the Crater (archive)
• Crater of Diamonds mineral species - Mindat (archive)
• The Arkansas Roadside Travelogue - Crater of Diamonds State Park (archive)
• Encyclopedia of Arkansas: Diamond Mining

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