DIAMONDS ON THE MOON?

This attempted 'crystal gazing' will be ended by consideration of a somewhat light-hearted conjecture for which we ourselves are responsible. This is the conjecture which we have made elsewhere that there may be numerous diamonds on the surface of the Moon. This theory (which we published a few years ago) is based on the following ideas. The first point is that just as there are millions of tons of carbon on Earth in one form or another, and just as there are great quantities on the Sun, so equally carbon must abound on the Moon. Now, it has already been established that an explosive shock wave can convert carbon to diamond. Furthermore, it has been established that around the rim of the great meteoric crater in Arizona (Canon Diablo) there are numerous small black diamonds. It is very probable that the mighty impact of the meteorite which produced this crater created a shock wave of sufficient temperature and pressure to convert any local carbon present to diamond and that is the reason why there are diamonds on the rim of the Arizona meteoric crater.

Now it is well known that the Moon is simply covered with craters, indeed the American satellites have sent back photographs proving that the whole of the Moon's surface is vastly pitted with craters. The Moon has no atmosphere, so that all incident meteorites produce most violent impacts. Even if the lunar force of gravity is only one-sixth that on Earth, the absence of a resisting protective atmosphere means that every impact is very violent indeed.
Thus there is high probability that just as at Arizona, so on the rims of the innumerable lunar craters there may also be diamonds. But there are thousands upon thousands of such craters, large and small, so there have been many chances indeed of diamond formation by impact.
Indeed, since some meteors carry diamond stones the very hail of projectiles could itself have brought in much diamond from outside. (These meteorites might be break-up from a former minor planet, therefore come largely from depth in this minor planet where pressure and temperature conditions would favour diamond formation.)
Thus, all in all, the Moon's surface might be very rich in diamond.

This fantasy by the author seems to have impressed the administrators of the American Apollo project for landing men on the Moon, who have taken it quite seriously, for the American Space Administration has appointed the writer to be a special investigator to search retrieved lunar material for diamond. Some of the first lunar rock to be brought back has been allocated to the writer for the express purpose of searching it for small diamonds. Who knows, the Moon may one day be mined for diamond!