This German Town Is Embedded with Millions of Tiny Diamonds | Travel | Smithsonian
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/german-town-contains-millions-diamonds-180961467/
Uppon first glance, Nördlingen has all the hallmarks of a classic German town. At its epicenter sits St.-Georgs-Kirche,
a medieval church with an imposing tower that dominates the skyline, which itself is punctuated by the red pitched roofs
of hundreds of timberframe homes and shops. But on closer inspection, it’s these very buildings that set Nördlingen apart
from other towns, and for one very curious reason: These structures are embedded with millions of microscopic diamonds.
The diamonds are the result of an asteroid, which struck this area of Bavaria, a federal state in southern Germany, some 15
million years ago. The resulting impact left behind the Nördlingen Ries (or Ries crater), a massive depression that stretches
more than nine miles across the German countryside, and is the site upon which Nördlingen sits today. The impact also created
suevite—an impact breccia or course-grained rock comprised of angular fragments that can include glass, crystal and diamonds,
and is commonly found at impact sites such as this one.
