The town of Nördlingen in Bavaria is built on an estimated 72,000 tons of diamonds. However, these diamonds hold no monetary value, though they have attracted attention from NASA.
A city built on diamonds from an ancient asteroid impact
Nördlingen, a town in the northern part of Bavaria’s Swabia region, has a fascinating secret: it sits on 72,000 tons of diamonds. These diamonds were formed around 15 million years ago when a massive asteroid struck the region. According to reports from travelbook.de, the asteroid had a diameter of roughly 1.5 kilometers and hit the Earth at a speed of about 20 kilometers per second. The impact released energy equivalent to 1.8 million Hiroshima bombs detonating simultaneously.
The force of the collision created a crater that eventually grew to 24 kilometers in width and 150 meters deep due to shifting stone layers. During the impact, the asteroid penetrated layers of graphite and quartz, and the intense heat turned carbon bubbles into tiny diamonds. Today, the town of Nördlingen sits in the middle of this crater, which is now recognized as a UNESCO Geopark.
Diamonds with no monetary value but scientific importance
Despite being surrounded by diamonds, Nördlingen’s residents aren’t rich from their unique geological treasure. The reason is simple: most of the diamonds are only 0.2 millimeters in size, making them too small to have any commercial value, as explained by travelbook.de. The diamonds are embedded in the stone throughout the crater and can even be found in the walls and buildings of the town. On sunny days, some of these stones glitter, hinting at the presence of diamonds.
While these diamonds don’t bring wealth, they do attract significant scientific interest. NASA has visited the town, particularly during the Apollo 14 and 16 missions, because the rocks found in and around Nördlingen are similar to those on the moon. The astronauts trained in the area to prepare for their lunar missions, learning how to identify and collect the right rocks for bringing back to Earth.
Nördlingen: A gem of scientific and geological history
Nördlingen’s unique geological history makes it a key location for scientific research, even though its diamonds cannot be turned into riches. Its importance as a UNESCO Geopark and its role in space exploration training highlight its global significance. While the diamonds may be small, the story of their formation and the ongoing interest from space agencies like NASA make this town truly one of a kind.
