Repeated kimberlite magmatism beneath Yakutia and its relationship to Siberian flood volcanism: Insights from in situ U–Pb and Sr–Nd perovskite isotope analysis

Abstract

We report combined U–Pb ages and Sr–Nd isotope compositions of perovskites from 50 kimberlite occurrences, sampled from 9 fields across the Yakutian kimberlite province on the Siberian craton. The new U–Pb ages, together with previously reported geochronological constraints, suggest that kimberlite magmas formed repeatedly during at least 4 episodes: Late Silurian–Early Devonian (419–410 Ma), Late Devonian–Early Carboniferous (376–347 Ma), Late Triassic (231–215 Ma), and Middle/Late Jurassic (171–156 Ma). Recurrent kimberlite melt production beneath the Siberian craton – before and after flood basalt volcanism at 250 Ma – provides a unique opportunity to test existing models for the origin of global kimberlite magmatism.The internally consistent Sr and Nd isotope dataset for perovskites reveals that the Paleozoic and Mesozoic kimberlites of Yakutia have distinctly different initial radiogenic isotope compositions. There exists a notable increase in the initial 143Nd/144Nd ratios through time, with an apparent isotopic evolution that is intermediate between that of Bulk Earth and Depleted MORB Mantle. While the Paleozoic samples range between initial 87Sr/86Sr of 0.7028–0.7034 and 143Nd/144Nd of 0.51229–0.51241, the Mesozoic samples show values between 0.7032–0.7038 and 0.51245–0.51271, respectively. Importantly, perovskites from all studied Yakutian kimberlite fields and age groups have moderately depleted initial εNd values that fall within a relatively narrow range between +1.8 and +5.5.The perovskite isotope systematics of the Yakutian kimberlites are interpreted to reflect magma derivation from the convecting upper mantle, which appears to have a record of continuous melt depletion and crustal recycling throughout the Phanerozoic. The analyzed perovskites neither record highly depleted nor highly enriched isotopic components, which had been previously identified in likely plume-related Siberian Trap basalts. The Siberian craton has frequently been suggested to represent a type example of an association between kimberlite eruptions and flood basaltic volcanism within a single large igneous province (LIP), but our new extensive age and isotopic tracer constraints do not support a genetic link between these contrasting types of mantle-derived magmatism.