Crater of Diamonds State Park
| Crater of Diamonds State Park, Arkansas, USA | |
|---|---|
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| Location | Pike County, Arkansas, USA |
| Nearest city | Murfreesboro, Arkansas |
| Area | 911 acres (3.69 km2) |
| Established | 1972 |
| Governing body | Arkansas State Park System |
The Crater of Diamonds State Park is an Arkansas State Park located near Murfreesboro in Pike County, Arkansas, USA containing the only diamond bearing site in the world that is open to the public.
Description
The Crater of Diamonds State Park is an 911 acre (3.69 km²) Arkansas State Park situated over an eroded Kimberlite volcanic pipe. Kimberlite volcanoes represent a very ancient type of volcanism that is no longer seen in action on the modern Earth; only the pipes of such ancient volcanoes remain today. 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. Over 25,000 diamonds have been found in the crater since it became a state park. Visitors may keep any gemstone they find regardless of its value (and some, as listed below, have been quite valuable).
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, barite, and calcite.
The crater itself is a 37 1/2-acre (142,000 m²) plowed field that is the eroded surface of the eighth largest diamond-bearing deposit in the world in surface area. It is periodically plowed to bring the diamonds and other gemstones to the surface. The remainder of the park consists of a visitor center, interpretive Diamond Discovery Center, campground, picnic area, and Diamond Springs aquatic playground. A 1.3 mile (2 km) walking trail along the Little Missouri River is available for hikers.
Murfreesboro is located just south of Hot Springs, Arkansas, the location of Hot Springs National Park. The park is open throughout the year.
Park attractions & features
Campgrounds
- 59 campsites, with water and electric hookups
- Two bathhouses with showers and restrooms as well as a laundry facility are available in the campgrounds
Diamond Springs Water park
- 14,700 sq. ft. mining-themed aquatic playground opened at the park in the summer of Summer 2004
- 4,166 sq. ft. wading pool with spray geysers, sprayers, water jets, animated waterspouts, cascades, two Water slides and waterfall hideaways along with a deck and lounge chairs.
- Open May 26 through August 19: Daily from noon to 6:00 p.m. and, August 25 through September 3 Saturday and Sunday only.
Pavilion
- Screened-in pavilion with restrooms for rental. This pavilion is available throughout the year.
Visitor Information Center
Open throughout the year daily except for Christmas Day, Thanksgiving Day and New years Day:
Crater of Diamonds Visitor Information Center
A virtual tour of the Crater of Diamonds State Park exhibit area. In it is a first-hand look of the park exhibits.
Wax Exhibit
Exhibits are located in the Visitor Center.
Gift Shop
Offers a wide selection of items including souvenir caps, t-shirts, mugs, pins, patches and spoons. Additional items include an assortment of gem and mineral field guides, diamond-hunting tools, cut and polished rocks and minerals, and novelty items. Drinks and snacks are available in the gift shop.
Kimberlite Cafe
Open seven days a week from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend, and only on weekends during the last two weeks of the season. The restaurant offers a breakfast and lunch menu including sandwiches and hamburgers, along with hand-scooped ice cream. Drinks and snacks are available in vending machines and at the gift shop.
Wildlife Observation Blind
One of the newest park offerings is a wildlife observation blind. A gravel walkway leads visitors through a secluded woodland setting to this blind offering a perfect vantage point to view and photograph deer, turkey, squirrels, a variety of birds and other wildlife in their natural setting. The parking lot just inside the park entrance is adjacent to the observation blind's walkway.
History
The first diamond was found at Murfreesboro in 1906 by John Huddleston who owned the property. Several attempts at commercial exploitation of the site have failed.
Soon after the original diamond was found, a "diamond rush" turned Murfreesboro into a boomtown for a time. Hotels in Murfreesboro are said to have turned away 10,000 people in the space of a year. These refugees formed a tent city near the mine which was named "Kimberly" in hopeful honor of the famous Kimberley Diamond Mine in South Africa.
From 1952 to 1972, the crater was a privately owned tourist attraction. Between 1964 and 1968, Roscoe Johnston leased 49 acres of diamond bearing land adjacent to the crater and operated it as a tourist attraction under the name: "Arkansas Diamond Mine". It was during this time that the "Star of Murfreesboro" and the "Phillips 66" diamonds were found.
In 1972, the state of Arkansas purchased the crater to become an Arkansas state park.
Due in part to the park (and since Arkansas is the first state where diamonds were found "in situ"), the diamond has come to be associated with the state and the diamond shape is part of the design of the flag of Arkansas. The Arkansas State Quarter, released in 2003, bears a diamond on its face, and the former seal of Arkansas State University incorporated a multi-faceted diamond.
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.
Diamond-hunting techniques
Diamond hunters at the park use a variety of techniques to locate the gemstones. Pavilions with sluice beds are provided within the crater and hunters gather buckets of the gravelly soil and sort through them by hand while washing. Others sift the soil through wire mesh screens that are provided. The park staff weigh and categorize the gemstones and minerals found for park visitors free of charge.
Notable Diamonds found
- 1917 ~ Lee J. Wagner of the Arkansas Diamond Company - 17.86 carats, exceptional canary yellow (the uncut gem is on display in the National Museum of Natural History)
- 1924 ~ The Uncle Sam - at 40.23 carats (8.046 g), the largest diamond ever discovered in North America
- 1956 ~ The Star of Arkansas - 15.33 carats (3.066 g)
- 1975 ~ The Amarillo Starlight - 16.37 carats (3.274 g) - largest found since the location became a park
- 1978 ~ The Lamle Diamond - 8.61 carats
- 1981 ~ The Star of Shreveport - 8.82 carats (1.76 g)
- 1991 ~ The Bleeding Heart Diamond - 6.23 carats, yellowish
- 1997 ~ The Cooper Diamonds - 6.72 & 6.0 carats (1.34 and 1.2 g)
- 1998 ~ The Dickinson-Stevens Diamond - 7.28 carats (1.46 g)
- 1998 ~ The Strawn-Wagner Diamond, a cut white diamond weighing 3.03 carats (606 mg), later cut to 1.09 carats (218 mg), graded by the American Gem Society (AGS) as a "D" Flawless 0/0/0 perfect diamond (the highest grade a diamond can receive)
- 1999 ~ James Archer/ "Black Beauty" - 1.45 carats, black color with ideal crystal shape and no visible flaws
- 2006 ~ Marvin Culver/ "Okie Dokie Diamond" - 4.21 carats, canary yellow, ideal crystal shape and no visible flaws. Highly publicized stone, including seen on Inside Edition, the Today Show and the Travel Channel
- 2006 ~ Melissa Lacey - 1.3 carats
- 2006 ~ Donald and Brenda Roden - 6.35 carats
- 2006 ~ Bob Wehle - 5.47 carats, canary yellow color with no visible flaws
- 2006 ~ The Star of Thelma - 2.37 carats (white)
- 2007 ~ The "Duncan Twins" Diamond - 2.5 carat (unknown color)
- 2007 ~ The "Pathfinder Diamond" - 2.93-carats, tea-colored