Science / Brief : 6-Billion-Year-Old Diamonds
<i> Compiled from Times staff and wire reports</i>
Diamonds discovered in Africa suggest that the earth could be older than previously estimated, reports Japanese paleontologist Minoru Kojima of Tokyo University.
He said a Japanese team had found 10 small diamonds in Zaire which were 6 billion years old. A broadly accepted theory puts the age of the earth and other planets in the solar system at 4.5 to 4.6 billion years.
Kojima said the diamonds were dated using a potassium-argon method which involved heating the samples to 3,600 degrees Fahrenheit. The scientist said he had no explanation for the discrepancy in the dates. Kojima said he planned to report on his finding at a meeting of the American Geophysical Union in May.
