Crater of Diamonds State Park
Diamond
Coal Mining
There is actually a place where you can dig for diamonds yourself! It's called Crater of Diamonds State Park and it's in Arkansas. Once you find diamonds, you can keep them yourself! They have rental equipment and low prices to dig. 8$ for adults, 5$ for kids ages 6-12, and free for kids under 6 years old.
Coal mining is very dangerous. Modern mining in the US results in about 30 deaths per year due to mine accidents. You can also get Black Lung disease which has the long term effects of smoking. Dust explosions can also happen along with other dangerous things.
- Diamonds first became valuable in India around 3-6,000 years ago.
- The name diamond comes from the word adamas which means unbreakable.
- Diamond is the hardest naturally occuring material.
- Even though diamond is pretty, because of its hardness, it is ideal for cutting, grinding, and wearing away any material.
Carbon,
Things That You Should Know
Coal
- The Chinese were known to have first used coal more than 3,000 years ago.
- Besides fuel, coal is used for electricity generation, steel production, and cement manufacturing.
- Coal generates 44% of our electricity.
- in 2006 the world consumed over 6,000,000,000,000 kilograms of coal.
Today we will be viewing 3 things with Carbon in them. Diamond, Graphite, and Coal.
Enjoy!
- Symbol=C
- Atomic Number=6
- Density=2.62 g/cm
- Discovered in ancient times and the discoverer is unknown
- Carbon is the fourth most common element in the universe.
- The name Carbon comes from the Latin word carbo which means coal.
- Every single cell in every living thing has some carbon in it.
Carbon, The Element of Many Objects
By Jonathan Solomon
Graphite
- As early as the year 1500, Graphite was discovered in Cumbria, England.
- The word graphite comes from the greek word grephein which means to draw or write.
- Pencils are actually made out of graphite rather than lead.
- Around 1560, an Italian couple made the blueprints for the first pencil.
Industrial Uses For Graphite
Graphite is not just used in pencils. It has some industrial uses too. It is also used in batteries, fire retardants, and reinforcements in plastics.