First identified in 1967, lonsdaleite is the hardest naturally-occuring mineral ever discovered—yes, it’s even harder than diamonds. Lonsdaleite, however, has only been found in meteorites ...

It’s also believed to exist on Earth in some form, though scientists are unsure how much is available on our planet. For centuries, humanity believed that diamonds were the hardest minerals on ...

Diamonds are the hardest substance on Earth — but on other planets ... theorized that diamond can squeeze into an even harder mineral known as an eight-atom body-centered cubic, or BC8.

Diamond is the hardest mineral on Earth. This fact would likely pass muster at your local trivia night, but scientists suspect there’s more to the geologic story. Diamond is a carbon allotrope ...