9 The flash of lightning is just as brilliant as the flash of diamonds. Surprisingly, all diamonds come exclusively from old deeply-eroded volcanoes. Diamonds are formed under intense pressure about 150 kilometers or more under the earth’s surface. Specifically, they come from carrot-shaped structures which represent the roots of ancient, small volcanoes called Kimberlite pipes. Inside these pipes, most gem quality diamonds are found in the Diatreme. The largest diamond mines of this type are found in Australia (Argyle mine), Botswana (Orapa mine), Russia (Yakutia mine), Canada (Diavik mine), Zaire (Mbuji-Mayi mine), and particularly in South Africa (Kimberly and Jagersfontein mines) where the DeBeers Company runs its monopoly of the diamond business. [imgs=http://www.algebralab.org/img/97bd86b7-e97f-4be3-9b34-3a0aeb1b2e08.gif][/imgs]