On the presence of the postmagmatic stage of diamond formation in kimberlites

Abstract

On nowadays multiphase and the facies heterogeneity of the formations are distinguished at the study of kimberlite pipes. Most researchers associate the formation of diamonds only with the mantle source. To date, satellite minerals with specific compositions associated with kimberlite diamonds have been identified as deep mantle diamond association. They are extracted from the concentrate of the kimberlites heavy fraction and may reflect the diamond grade of the pipe. For some minerals in the diamond association, however, they can not be reliable. Some researchers also revealed shallow diamond associations, related to the formation of serpentine, calcite, apatite, and phlogopite. There is recent data on the formation of diamonds in rocks of the oceanic crust. In the last years microdiamonds were identified in chromites of the oceanic crust in association with antigorite formed at 350-650 °C and 0.1-1.6 GPa. As a result, the authors established a postmagmatic kimberlitic stage of diamond formation associated with secondary mineral associations based on the experimental and mineralogical data for the conditions of the shallow upper mantle and crust. Mineralogical and petrographic studies of Angolan kimberlite pipe show that antigorite is the indicator mineral of this stage.