Poetic

We geologists are hopeless romantics. We see beauty in the most violent processes of creation and destruction. Last week, while discussing the kimberlites of Brazil with my students, poetry took over:

'A diamond doesn't whine about the heat and pressure. It doesn't ask for permission. It ignores the crushing forces, it never breaks, and it becomes the hardest mineral on earth. It builds in silence and just rocks the stress like a crown. Eventually it surfaces, becoming the most expensive gem in the vault.'

Of course, they were shocked by the teacher's sudden departure from the lecture.

But they usually love the eccentricities of their teacher, and I’m sure they will never forget the lesson.