Aug

14

My Dad and I went hunting for diamonds in Arkansas almost exactly 40 years ago in the Crater of Diamonds State Park after a long drive from Alabama. We started out in the park about 9 AM and in about 30 minutes it felt like 100 degrees F and 100% humidity and that was about all the digging we were up for. My recollection was filling up a jar with the crater dirt which had a greenish cast characteristic of weathered kimberlite from a deep mantle source. We were staying in a nearby hotel in Delight, Ark., the home of Glen Campbell, and must have spent the rest of the day in front of the A/C drinking lemonade watching dust and flies move about in the heat outside. Seems like we made it back to Vicksburg for a quick visit of the battlefield after that.

It's a fun place for kids though and an unusual one of  a kind park to visit— but go when it's cooler if possible.  A good rain seems to help with the diamond hunting too.

Here is the latest story from the park:

A 12-year-old North Carolina boy picked up a five-carat diamond shortly after entering a one-of-a-kind Arkansas state park last month. "We were probably there about 10 minutes and I was looking around on the ground and found it on top," Michael Dettlaff told ABCNews.com. "It was very glassy. Very smooth."


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