Features of the tectonic structure of the Lapland-White Sea granulite-gneiss belt and prospects of its native diamond bearing

Abstract

Based on the analysis and generalization of modern data, the features of the tectonic structure and evolution of the Lapland-White Sea granulite-gneiss belt (LWSB) as a type of the known global collisional intercontinental tectonic structures are considered. Structures of this type (referred to in the English literature as high-grade or mobile belts), common across the continents, are viewed as the so-called "exceptions" from the empirically established "Clifford rule" in terms of their fundamental diamond content, since they are not Archean cratons. Nevertheless, primary diamond deposits were discovered in some of them (for example, in the Limpopo belt). Within the LWSB, they include the well-known Lomonosov and Grib deposits located on the Winter Shore of the White Sea. The paper discusses the features of the LWSB tectonic structure in the context of this tectonic nature related to its diamond potential and the assessed prospects for new primary diamond deposit discovery.