At Crater of Diamonds State Park in western Arkansas, every visitor can search for diamonds. Several signs throughout the park inform visitors that diamonds formed billions of years ago. The findings of two studies, however, suggest otherwise.
The first study of diamonds and its results
The first finding comes from the ICR RATE1 research project, which aimed, among other goals, to measure the presence of radioactive carbon, or radiocarbon, in diamonds. If the Earth is only a few thousand years old, diamonds may still contain radioactive carbon atoms. This would not be possible if the diamonds were millions or billions of years old. Given the relatively short half-life of radiocarbon, which is 5,730 years, no detectable amount would remain after 100,000 years.
Radiocarbon laboratories test samples such as coal, marble, and graphite. Researchers assume that these materials are too old to contain any radioactive carbon. Despite this, they consistently detect more radiocarbon in these samples than can be explained by contamination alone. Before the RATE project, no one had tested diamonds.
The project team reported radiocarbon levels using pMC, or percent of Modern Carbon. This figure shows the amount of radiocarbon in an ancient sample as a percentage of that found in a modern one. In general, the older the material, the lower the percentage. Based on previously measured decay rates, samples older than 100,000 theoretical years should show no radiocarbon after accounting for known sources of contamination, such as radiocarbon atoms in laboratory air.
In 2005, Dr. John Baumgardner described the RATE team’s results.2 All twelve African diamond samples tested were found to contain radiocarbon. No known underground process can produce the levels of radiocarbon that were measured. This raises the question of how these diamonds could be even a million years old, let alone billions.
A repeated study with a repeated result
Secular researchers, including the late R. E. Taylor, carried out their own tests on diamonds and also found radiocarbon. Their results were published in 2007.3
These findings caused considerable concern for Taylor, who co-authored a paper arguing that, since diamonds are billions of years old, any detected radiocarbon must have come from contamination.4 This reasoning is flawed.5 Results of this kind require further investigation rather than being dismissed due to assumptions and pre-existing beliefs.
Conclusion
Both studies, which detected short-lived radiocarbon in diamonds, contradict the claim that these materials are extremely old. The findings support an age of thousands of years and are consistent with the biblical account of recent creation and a global flood.
By the way, we recommend reading the articles:
- How Long Did Crude Oil Actually Take to Form?
- Where Did the Waters of the Flood Go?
- Volcanoes and Their Role in the Ice Age
- Durupinar – Has Noah’s Ark Been Found?
- Geological Evidence for a Young Earth
Footnotes
- RATE (n.d.) Radioisotopes and the Age of the Earth: The project’s multifaceted predictions were published in 2000, with spectacular fulfilment in 2005. Available at: https://ICR.org/rate
- Baumgardner, J., 2005. Carbon-14 Evidence for a Recent Global Flood and a Young Earth. In: Vardiman, L., Snelling, A. A. and Chaffin, E. F., eds. Radioisotopes and the Age of the Earth: Results of a Young-Earth Creationist Research Initiative. San Diego, CA: Institute for Creation Research; Chino Valley, AZ: Creation Research Society, pp. 587–630.
- Taylor, R. E. and Southon, J. R., 2007. Use of natural diamonds to monitor 14C AMS instrument backgrounds. Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research B, 259, pp. 282–287.
- Taylor, R. E., Southon, J. R. and Santos, G. M., 2018. Misunderstandings Concerning the Significance of AMS Background 14C Measurements. Radiocarbon, 60(3), pp. 727–749.
- Cupps, V. R. and Thomas, B., 2019. Deep Time Philosophy Impacts Radiocarbon Measurements. Creation Research Society Quarterly, 55(4), pp. 212–222.
Based on: B. Thomas, Crater of Diamonds State Park and the origin of diamonds, Acts & Facts, Institute for Creation Research, August 2021, pp. 14-17.
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