Oceans of liquid diamond topped with solid "icebergs" of the precious gems could be on Uranus and Neptune, new research has revealed.

Published: 7:30AM GMT 22 Jan 2010
telegraph.co.uk

The first ever detailed research into the melting point of diamond found it behaves like water during melting and freezing - with its solid form floating on the liquid.

A large diamond ocean on one or both of the planets could provide an explanation for an oddity they both share.

The two giant gas planets, unlike Earth, do not have magnetic poles which match up with their geographical poles.

As much as 10 per cent of both planets is carbon, and a liquid diamond ocean could deflect the angle of the magnetic field out of alignment with the planet's rotation, the researchers believe.

In laboratory conditions which simulated pressure levels on the gas planets, the scientists found that little crystals of solid diamond formed like icebergs in the liquid carbon they created.

Read More Here