Kimberlites and Related Rocks: New Insight into Petrogenesis and Diamond Potential of Deeply-Derived Mantle Magmas

A special issue of Minerals (ISSN 2075-163X). This special issue belongs to the section "Mineral Geochemistry and Geochronology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 June 2024 | Viewed by 10573

Special Issue Editors

1. Institute of the Earth's Crust, Siberian Вrаnсh of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Irkutsk, Russia
2. Sobolev Institute of Geology and Mineralogy, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia
Interests: kimberlites and related rocks; mantle xenoliths and their minerals; inclusions in mantle-derived minerals; intraplate magmatism; mantle melts/fluids; kimberlite indicator minerals; diamonds; experimental petrology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Sobolev Institute of Geology and Mineralogy, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia
Interests: kimberlites and related rocks; mantle xenoliths and their minerals; composition and evolution of mantle; lithospheric mantle processes; intraplate magmatism; mantle melts/fluids; crystalline/melts/fluids inclusions in minerals; kimberlite indicator minerals; diamonds
Zavaritsky Institute of Geology and Geochemistry, Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Ekaterinburg, Russia
Interests: diamonds; mantle rocks and minerals; inclusions in diamonds; carbon; nitrogen; mantle melts/fluids
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Institute of the Earth’s Crust, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Irkutsk 664033, Russia
Interests: composition and evolution of mantle; thermal and redox state of subcratonic lithospheric mantle; mantle rocks and minerals; mineral thermobarometry; mineral oxybarometry; thermodynamics of minerals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Kimberlites are igneous rocks that represent the deepest magmas originated from the mantle (> 150 km). Studies of kimberlites and their crustal and mantle xenoliths provide fundamentally important information about the Earth’s interior beneath ancient cratons. Kimberlites are also economically important, as they are a major source of diamonds. Kimberlites are hybrid rocks consisting of minerals of different origins: xenogenic minerals produced by the fragmentation of foreign mantle and crustal rocks, primary minerals crystallized from kimberlite melt, and later minerals formed during the post-magmatic alteration of kimberlites. The mineralogy of individual kimberlites may be extremely variable and complex. Mantle-derived minerals, such as Cr-pyrope, Cr-spinels, Mg-ilmenite, chromium diopside, and olivine, occurring in kimberlites in significantly higher quantities than diamonds, serve as kimberlite indicator minerals (or diamond indicator minerals) and are used for diamond prospecting, as well as for the primary assessment of whether a target kimberlite body is diamond-bearing or not. Thus, the interpretation of mineralogical data is essential for an understanding of both kimberlite petrogenesis and diamond potential. Rocks allied to kimberlites and occurring within ancient cratons, such as lamproites and lamprophyres, also provide information about deep Earth processes and may contain diamonds. Most diamondiferous kimberlites carry diamonds only from the roots of subcratonic lithospheric mantle, but some rare examples supply so-called ‘super-deep’ diamonds, originated in the sublithospheric mantle. These diamonds are of particular interest at the moment as they provide key primary information about the lowermost upper mantle, the mantle transition zone and even the uppermost lower mantle.

The Editors invite all colleagues to contribute to this Special Issue, which may include any aspects of the mineralogy, petrology and geochemistry of kimberlites and related magmatic rocks of deep-mantle origin (lamproites, lamprophyres, carbonatites, etc.), mantle and crustal xenoliths, and diamonds. Papers focused on any processes beneath ancient cratons and the high-temperature and high-pressure experiments related to the field of the Special Issue topic are also welcome.

Dr. Igor Sharygin
Dr. Alexander Golovin
Dr. Dmitry Zedgenizov
Dr. Anna Dymshits
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • kimberlite
  • lamproite
  • magma
  • melt
  • mantle
  • crust
  • craton
  • xenolith
  • diamond
  • lithosphere
  • kimberlite indicator minerals
  • placers

Related Special Issue

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

31 pages, 13388 KiB  
Article
Primary Composition of Kimberlite Melt
by Sergey Kostrovitsky, Anna Dymshits, Dmitry Yakovlev, Jing Sun, Tatiana Kalashnikova, Igor Ashchepkov and Olga Belozerova
Minerals 2023, 13(11), 1404; https://doi.org/10.3390/min13111404 - 01 Nov 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1032
Abstract
The compositions (mineralogy, major- and trace-element chemistry of rocks and minerals, and Sr-Nd-Hf isotope systematics) of two kimberlite bodies, the Obnazhennaya pipe and the Velikan dyke from the Kuoika field, Yakutian kimberlite province (YaKP), which are close to each other (1 km distance) [...] Read more.
The compositions (mineralogy, major- and trace-element chemistry of rocks and minerals, and Sr-Nd-Hf isotope systematics) of two kimberlite bodies, the Obnazhennaya pipe and the Velikan dyke from the Kuoika field, Yakutian kimberlite province (YaKP), which are close to each other (1 km distance) and of the same Upper Jurassic age, are presented. The kimberlites of the two bodies are contrastingly different in composition. The Obnazhennaya pipe is composed of pyroclastic kimberlite of high Mg and low Ti composition and is characterized by high saturation of clastic material of the lithospheric mantle (CMLM). The pyroclastic kimberlite contains rare inclusions of coherent kimberlite from previous intrusion phases. The Velikan dyke is represented by coherent kimberlite of relatively high Fe and high Ti composition, having neither mantle xenoliths nor olivine xenocrysts. The similarity of the isotopic geochemical characteristics for kimberlites from both bodies and their spatial and temporal proximity suggest that their formation is associated with the presence of a single primary magmatic source located in the asthenosphere. It is proposed that the asthenospheric melt differentiated into two parts: (1) a predominantly carbonate composition and (2) a carbonate–silicate composition, which, respectively, formed (a) low Fe and (b) Mg-Fe and high Fe-Ti petrochemical types of kimberlites. Both parts of the melt had different capabilities to capture the xenogenic material of the mantle rocks. The greater ability to destroy and, subsequently, capture CMLM belongs to the melt, which formed a high Mg type of kimberlite and which, according to the structural–textural classification, more often corresponds to the pyroclastic kimberlite. It is suggested that the primary kimberlite melt of asthenospheric origin is similar in composition to the high Fe, high Ti, coherent kimberlite from the Velikan dyke (in wt. %: SiO2–21.8, TiO2–3.5, Al2O3–4.0, FeO–10.6, MnO–0.19, MgO–21.0, CaO–17.2, Na2O–0.24, K2O–0.78, P2O5–0.99, CO2–12.6). It is concluded that the pyroclastic kimberlite contains only xenogenic Ol, whereas some of the Ol macrocrysts with high FeO content in the coherent kimberlite have crystallized from the melt. The similarity of Sr-Nd-Hf isotope systematics and trace element compositions for kimberlites of different ages (from Devonian to Upper Jurassic) in different parts of the YaKP (in the Kuoika, Daldyn and Mirny fields) indicates a single long-lived homogeneous magmatic asthenospheric source. Full article
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14 pages, 3223 KiB  
Article
Distinct Groups of Low- and High-Fe Ferropericlase Inclusions in Super-Deep Diamonds: An Example from the Juina Area, Brazil
by Felix V. Kaminsky, Dmitry A. Zedgenizov, Vyacheslav S. Sevastyanov and Olga V. Kuznetsova
Minerals 2023, 13(9), 1217; https://doi.org/10.3390/min13091217 - 15 Sep 2023
Viewed by 736
Abstract
Diamonds from the Rio Sorriso placer in the Juina area, Mato Grosso State, Brazil, contain mineral inclusions of ferropericlase associated with MgSiO3, CaSiO3, magnesite, merrillite, and other minerals. The ferropericlase inclusions in Rio Sorriso diamonds are resolved into two [...] Read more.
Diamonds from the Rio Sorriso placer in the Juina area, Mato Grosso State, Brazil, contain mineral inclusions of ferropericlase associated with MgSiO3, CaSiO3, magnesite, merrillite, and other minerals. The ferropericlase inclusions in Rio Sorriso diamonds are resolved into two distinct genetic and compositional groups: (1) protogenetic, high-Ni and low-Fe (Ni = 8270–10,660 ppm; mg# = 0.756–0.842) ferropericlases, and (2) syngenetic, low-Ni and high-Fe (Ni = 600–3050 ppm; mg# = 0.477–0.718) ferropericlases. Based on the crystallographic orientation relationships between natural ferropericlase inclusions and host diamonds, high-Ni and low-Fe ferropericlases originate in the upper part of the lower mantle, while low-Ni and high-Fe ferropericlases, most likely, originate in the lithosphere. Mineral inclusions form the ultramafic lower-mantle (MgSiO3, which we suggest as bridgmanite, CaSiO3, which we suggest as CaSi-perovskite, and high-Ni and low-Fe ferropericlase) and lithospheric (CaSiO3, which we suggest as breyite, Ca(Si,Ti)O3, and low-Ni and high-Fe ferropericlase) associations. The presence of magnesite and merrillite inclusions in association with ferropericlase confirmed the existence of a deep-seated carbonatitic association. Diamonds hosting high-Ni and low-Ni ferropericlase have different carbon-isotopic compositions (δ13C = −5.52 ± 0.75‰ versus −7.07 ± 1.23‰ VPDB, respectively). It implies the carbon-isotopic stratification of the mantle: in the lower mantle, the carbon-isotopic composition tends to become isotopically heavier (less depleted in 13C) than in lithospheric diamonds. These regularities may characterize deep-seated diamonds and ferropericlases not only in the Juina area of Brazil but also in other parts of the world. Full article
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9 pages, 6293 KiB  
Article
Second Natural Occurrence of KFeS2 (Hanswilkeite): An Inclusion in Diamond from the Udachnaya Kimberlite Pipe (Siberian Craton, Yakutia)
by Alla M. Logvinova and Igor S. Sharygin
Minerals 2023, 13(7), 874; https://doi.org/10.3390/min13070874 - 28 Jun 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 749
Abstract
Potassium sulfide KFeS2 (hanswilkeite) has been identified in polymineralic inclusions in a diamond from the Udachnaya kimberlite pipe (Siberian craton, Yakutia). This is the second occurrence of hanswilkeite in nature and the first one in mantle-derived samples. Sulfide KFeS2 is monoclinic, [...] Read more.
Potassium sulfide KFeS2 (hanswilkeite) has been identified in polymineralic inclusions in a diamond from the Udachnaya kimberlite pipe (Siberian craton, Yakutia). This is the second occurrence of hanswilkeite in nature and the first one in mantle-derived samples. Sulfide KFeS2 is monoclinic, the space group—C 2/c. Its crystal structure consists of chains with K in the interstices. The tetrahedra are centered by iron ions and linked by edges, thus forming chains of [FeS2] frameworks. The strongest lines of the electron diffraction powder pattern are 7.05 Å—(200); 5.34 Å (02¯0); and 3.05 Å (22¯0), and the angles between directions are <22¯0/02¯0>—60° and <22¯0/200>—30°. KFeS2 has been found as a discrete phase within polymineralic inclusions consisting of apatite, ilmenite, chondrodite, phlogopite, dolomite, and a fluid phase. The data obtained from the composition of the hanswilkeite (KFeS2) inclusion and other rare minerals (chondrodite, Mg-apatite, Cr-ilmenite) in primary inclusions in a diamond from the Udachnaya kimberlite testify to the important role of metasomatic processes in diamond formation. Full article
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32 pages, 14769 KiB  
Article
Mineral Assemblage of Olivine-Hosted Melt Inclusions in a Mantle Xenolith from the V. Grib Kimberlite Pipe: Direct Evidence for the Presence of an Alkali-Rich Carbonate Melt in the Mantle Beneath the Baltic Super-Craton
by Alexander V. Golovin, Alexey A. Tarasov and Elena V. Agasheva
Minerals 2023, 13(5), 645; https://doi.org/10.3390/min13050645 - 06 May 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1895
Abstract
This report deals with the first mineralogical examination of secondary crystallized melt inclusions (CMIs) in healed cracks within olivine in a mantle peridotite xenolith from the V. Grib kimberlite pipe (Arkhangelsk diamondiferous province). In contrast to micro/nano-inclusions in diamonds, the studied CMIs are [...] Read more.
This report deals with the first mineralogical examination of secondary crystallized melt inclusions (CMIs) in healed cracks within olivine in a mantle peridotite xenolith from the V. Grib kimberlite pipe (Arkhangelsk diamondiferous province). In contrast to micro/nano-inclusions in diamonds, the studied CMIs are quite large (up to 50 µm), so that the mineral composition of the CMIs can be determined via conventional analytical approaches, e.g., Raman spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Garnet peridotite is a coarse-grained mantle rock that equilibrates at 3.3 GPa and 750 °C (corresponding to a depth of ~100 km). The CMIs are therefore tiny snapshots of melt that existed in the shallow lithospheric mantle and were entrapped in olivine. In total, nineteen mineral species were identified among the daughter magmatic minerals of the CMIs. Various Na-K-Ca-, Na-Ca-, Na-Mg-, Ca-Mg-, Mg- and Ca-carbonates; Na-Mg-carbonates with the additional anions Cl, SO42− and PO43−; alkali sulfates; chlorides; phosphates; sulfides; oxides; and silicates were established. Within the mineral assemblage, carbonates were predominant, with their abundance being more than 62 vol.%. The CMIs contained twelve alkali-rich minerals; nine of them were Na-bearing and showed bulk molar (Na + K)/Ca ≥ 1. The CMIs’ parental melt was an alkali-rich carbonate liquid that contained low amounts of SiO2 (≤9.6 wt%) and H2O (≤2.6 wt%). According to our estimates, the time of complete equilibration between olivine within the healed cracks and host olivine in the mantle at the calculated P-T parameters for the studied xenolith should be no more than several years. Based on this geologically short time span, a genetic link between the studied CMIs and the magmatism that formed the V. Grib kimberlite pipe is suggested. Full article
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22 pages, 7975 KiB  
Article
Melt Composition and Phase Equilibria in the Eclogite-Carbonate System at 6 GPa and 900–1500 °C
by Anton Shatskiy, Altyna Bekhtenova, Anton V. Arefiev and Konstantin D. Litasov
Minerals 2023, 13(1), 82; https://doi.org/10.3390/min13010082 - 05 Jan 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1283
Abstract
Melting phase relations in the eclogite-carbonate system were studied at 6 GPa and 900–1500 °C. Starting mixtures were prepared by blending natural bimineral eclogite group A (Ecl) with eutectic Na-Ca-Mg-Fe (N2) and K-Ca-Mg-Fe (K4) carbonate mixtures (systems Ecl-N2 and Ecl-K4). In the Ecl-N2 [...] Read more.
Melting phase relations in the eclogite-carbonate system were studied at 6 GPa and 900–1500 °C. Starting mixtures were prepared by blending natural bimineral eclogite group A (Ecl) with eutectic Na-Ca-Mg-Fe (N2) and K-Ca-Mg-Fe (K4) carbonate mixtures (systems Ecl-N2 and Ecl-K4). In the Ecl-N2 system, the subsolidus assemblage is represented by garnet, omphacite, eitelite, and a minor amount of Na2Ca4(CO3)5. In the Ecl-K4 system, the subsolidus assemblage includes garnet, clinopyroxene, K2Mg(CO3)2, and magnesite. The solidus of both systems is located at 950 °C and is controlled by the following melting reaction: Ca3Al2Si3O12 (Grt) + 2(Na or K)2Mg(CO3)2 (Eit) = Ca2MgSi3O12 (Grt) + [2(Na or K)2CO3∙CaCO3∙MgCO3] (L). The silica content (in wt%) in the melt increases with temperature from < 1 at 950 °C to 3–7 at 1300 °C, and 7–12 at 1500 °C. Thus, no gradual transition from carbonate to kimberlite-like (20–32 wt% SiO2) carbonate-silicate melt occurs even as temperature increases to mantle adiabat. This supports the hypothesis that the high silica content of kimberlite is the result of decarbonation at low pressure. As temperature increases from 950 to 1500 °C, the melt Ca# ranges from 58–60 to 42–46. The infiltration of such a melt into the peridotite mantle should lower its Ca# and causes refertilization from harzburgite to lherzolite and wehrlitization. Full article
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12 pages, 2665 KiB  
Article
The Earliest Generation of Diamond: The First Find of a Diamond Inclusion in Kimberlitic Olivine
by Lyudmila Pokhilenko, Nikolay Pokhilenko, Vladimir Malkovets and Taisia Alifirova
Minerals 2023, 13(1), 36; https://doi.org/10.3390/min13010036 - 26 Dec 2022
Viewed by 3722
Abstract
Today, it is known that the majority of diamonds are crystallized mostly from a metasomatic agent close in the main characteristics to carbonatite melts acting upon mantle rocks, and therefore, diamonds are located in the interstitial space of these rocks. So far, diamond [...] Read more.
Today, it is known that the majority of diamonds are crystallized mostly from a metasomatic agent close in the main characteristics to carbonatite melts acting upon mantle rocks, and therefore, diamonds are located in the interstitial space of these rocks. So far, diamond has never been found included in other kimberlitic or xenolithic minerals. We have found a diamond inclusion inside the kimberlitic olivine grain, which is the first find of its kind. The diamond crystal is to have been captured by the growing olivine at quite high temperatures (more than 1400 °C) early in the history of the cratonic lithospheric mantle formation. The event had taken place long before the depleted peridotite cooled down to the temperature of the Middle Archean cratonic geotherm corresponding to the diamond stability field at depths where carbonatite melts can react with depleted peridotite, making it a diamond-bearing rock. On the one hand, this find provides evidence that diamonds can crystallize from the high-temperature silicate melt with some carbonate component. On the other hand, the diamond was found coexisting with a sulfide inclusion in the same olivine, i.e., crystallization from a sulfide melt may be another way of diamond formation. Full article
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