Nature of type IaB diamonds from the Mir kimberlite pipe (Yakutia): evidence from spectroscopic observation

Abstract

In this study, the specific features of structural defects of type IaB diamonds from the Mir kimberlite pipe (Yakutian diamondiferous province) have been characterized using FTIR and photoluminescence spectroscopy. Mineral inclusions in these diamonds [olivine (Ol), orthopyroxene (OPx), chromite (Chr), sulphide (Sf)] correspond to associations of peridotite rocks at the base of the lithosphere. Nitrogen content in type IaB diamonds shows significant variations, suggesting different growth media and/or several growth stages. A specific feature of these diamonds is the absence or very small amount of platelets, which may be related to annealing during their long-term residence at the temperatures of the base of the lithosphere. All studied diamonds show the presence of hydrogen defects that are active in IR spectra with an intense line at 3107 cm−1, and additional weaker lines at 3085 and 3237 cm−1, which correlated with high nitrogen content. Type IaB diamonds are also characterized by the presence of nitrogen–nickel luminescence centres S2, S3 and 523.2 nm. This feature distinguishes them from superdeep diamonds with extreme nitrogen aggregation states, which clearly attest to different growth conditions and crystallization media of type IaB diamonds from the Mir kimberlite pipe.