The Crater of Diamonds State Park is remarkable in several ways. First, it is the only place in the world where anyone may pay a small entrance fee, look for diamonds, and keep what you find! It fascinates geologists because the site presents a window into the geologic past and the earth’s mantle, a rare thing indeed. The park and surrounding area has a rich verbal and written history…history of the settlement of the region, of the discovery of diamonds, of the many attempts at commercial and tourist development based on the presence of that gemstone, and history of preservation and continued development since it became a state park and, as such, public property.

This publication is written to accompany the geologic poster by the Arkansas Geological Survey entitled “Geology of the Crater of Diamonds State Park and Vicinity, Pike County, Arkansas.” The reader can learn a lot of geology and geologic history pertaining to the sedimentary and igneous rocks of the area, and specifically of the Park, from the poster and even more by reading the contained information.