A flashy claim from Russian scientists, that a Siberian meteorite crater holds "trillions of carats" of diamonds, may be far-fetched but it's not outside the realm of scientific possibility.

Over the weekend, scientists in Moscow divulged that the 62-mile (100-kilometer)-wide Popigai Astroblem crater harbors a peerlessly dense deposit of industrial diamonds, according to the Christian Science Monitor.

The Soviets reportedly discovered the trove in the 1970s, but they kept it a secret to avoid upsetting a world diamond market that already favored them.