Types of diamonds found at Crater of Diamonds State Park... Perfect summer activity at Crater of Diamonds State Park... Diamond Discovery Center at Crater of Diamonds State Park... Digging for finders keepers diamonds ... Uncut Esperanza diamond found at Crater of Diamonds State Park... Crater of Diamonds State Park Search Field... Diamond Springs Water Park at Crater of Diamonds State Park... Visitor Information Center & Gift Shop... Digging for diamonds at Crater of Diamonds State Park...
One of the only places in the world where the public can search for real diamonds in their original volcanic source, Crater of Diamonds is a one-of-a-kind experience that brings people from all over the world to Murfreesboro, Arkansas. Visitors to the park search a 37-acre plowed field, the eroded surface of a volcanic crater, for variety of rocks, minerals, and gemstones – and any rock or mineral you find is yours to keep. You may bring your own mining equipment to search with (no battery-operated or motor driven mining tools allowed), or rent tools from the park.
Your diamond search begins here , where you can prepare for your visit by learning about diamonds and how to search for them. At the park's visitor center, you can view real, uncut diamonds and interact with exhibits illustrating the area's unique history and geology. At the Diamond Discovery Center, you can learn more about rocks and minerals found at the park and how to search for diamonds using various techniques. Diamonds come in all colors of the rainbow: the three colors found here at the park are white, brown, and yellow. Amethyst, garnet, jasper, agate, quartz, and other rocks and minerals naturally occur here. Park staff provide complimentary identification or rocks and minerals found at the park, as well as diamond mining demonstrations and other interpretive programs.
More than 33,100 diamonds have been found by park visitors since the Crater of Diamonds became an Arkansas state park in 1972. Notable diamonds found at the Crater include the 40.23-carat Uncle Sam, the largest diamond ever unearthed in the U.S.; the 16.37-carat Amarillo Starlight; the 15.33-carat Star of Arkansas; and the 8.52-carat Esperanza.
Other amenities include walking trails, picnic sites, 47 Class AAA campsites (50 Amp/30 Amp/Water/Sewer), 5 walk-in tent sites, a gift shop, Kimberlite Cafe (seasonal), and Diamond Springs Water Park (seasonal), which is a great place to cool off after a summer day of digging for diamonds.
InevitableSignUp on November 23rd, 2019 at 13:20 UTC »
I took the family there a few weeks ago; someone had found a 3+ carat diamond a couple of days before we went. And she didn’t even dig for it - it was laying on the surface.
We didn’t leave that much time to actually sift through what we were digging up - there are a huge number of minerals/calcites/etc, too, so it’s not all mud-until-you-find-something. I’d highly recommend it. Take a fair bit of money to splash out on the sifting trays and such; they’re refundable deposits, and it’s all very much worth using.
You can take buckets of dirt home with you, too, to sift through in your spare time. Although you’d have to take any diamonds back to them to have them graded and certified.
It’s a really fun day out.
RibeyeRare on November 23rd, 2019 at 12:48 UTC »
Someone found a 40 carat diamond there in 1924, the largest diamond ever found in the US. Also a 34 carat diamond was found in the 70's. Not bad for a day trip with the family.
Smokron85 on November 23rd, 2019 at 12:06 UTC »
Did that park with my friend a few years ago. It's just a huge dirt field. You can dig for diamonds and keep any you find. It was a fun for awhile. Got to see an Osage orange tree.
Edit: Didn't find anything after an hour straight of digging sadly. The local pawnshop had a ton of them you could buy though for cheap.