A volcanic pipe or breccia-filled vent created by a violent explosion that breaks through rock layers, often associated with kimberlite pipes that can contain diamonds.
From Greek dia- 'through' + trema 'hole' or 'opening,' literally meaning 'hole through.' The term was adopted by geologists to describe these dramatic volcanic features.
Most of the world's diamonds come from diatremes—violent volcanic explosions that shot rock from deep in the Earth upward so quickly that precious diamonds didn't have time to break down!
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.