(IDEX Online) - The planet Mercury could be awash with diamonds, say experts.Their research suggests its heavily-cratered surface could be home to 16 quadrillion tons of diamonds.A quadrillion is a million billion - or one followed by 15 zeros. And that measurement is in tons, not carats.The research was presented at the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (LPSC) in Houston, Texas, USA. Kevin Cannon, Assistant Professor, Geology and Geological Engineering/Space Resources at the Colorado School of Mines, said the planet, which is 48m miles from Earth, was covered in graphite, a pure form of carbon.He suggested it may have been transformed into diamonds after being struck by meteorites, asteroids and comets.He did, however, caution that the diamonds were more likely to be industrial rather than gem quality.