In Arkansas, you can dig for diamonds and keep whatever you manage to find
In short: Most diamond mines are restricted, high-security industrial zones. In Pike County, Arkansas, a 37.5-acre plowed field offers a rare exception. Since 1972, this state park has invited the public to hunt for gems in an eroded volcanic pipe, where visitors have unearthed over 75,000 diamonds to date.
The park sits atop the Prairie Creek Diatreme, an Early Cretaceous volcanic pipe. According to geological research, lamproite magma originates from partially melted mantle at depths exceeding 93 miles. As this material forces its way to the surface, it carries xenocryst diamonds from the mantle, specifically from eclogite host regions where high pressures—around 5 GPa—and temperatures of 1000 °C stabilize diamond formation.
The site's history is a century-long saga of commercial ambition and failure. After John Wesley Huddleston discovered diamonds there in 1906, the area saw multiple mining ventures, including the Arkansas Diamond Company and various private operations. These efforts were plagued by financial mismanagement and the reality that most stones were small or industrial grade. Even a wartime attempt by the United States Bureau of Mines in the 1940s to extract industrial diamonds proved largely unsuccessful, yielding only 32 stones from 435 tons of material.
Today, the park operates as a public attraction where the thrill of discovery remains the primary draw. Visitors find an average of two diamonds per day, and they are permitted to keep any gemstones they uncover, regardless of value. Beyond diamonds, the field is rich in other minerals, including amethyst, agate, jasper, garnet, and quartz. This unique accessibility transforms a geological curiosity into a hands-on experience, allowing amateur rockhounds to walk the same ground that once hosted failed mining empires.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Crater of Diamonds State Park
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