Primary Kimberlite Melts Research Articles

Primary Composition of Kimberlite Melt

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.

Major-, trace-element and Sr-Nd-Hf isotope geochemistry of diamondiferous dykes from Tonguma and Koidu, Sierra Leone: Highly micaceous kimberlites formed by assimilation of metasomatised lithospheric mantle rocks

The Man Craton in West Africa hosts two clusters of highly micaceous kimberlites at Koidu and Tonguma with mineralogical and geochemical features transitional towards those of cratonic lamproites. To develop a better understanding of the genesis of these peculiar rocks, which have also been documented elsewhere (e.g., South Africa, China, Russia, India), we have undertaken a geochemical and isotopic study of representative fresh samples from Koidu and Tonguma. New mica RbSr dating by isotope dilution confirms the Jurassic age of Koidu (∼145 Ma) and establishes that the Tonguma dykes are marginally younger (∼138 Ma). Bulk-rock analyses of samples from both localities show strong enrichment in K2O (up to 4.4 wt%), but also CaO and CO2 (up to 24 wt% and 18 wt%, respectively), which is entirely consistent with the micaceous nature of these rocks and their variable abundance of calcite. Despite their highly potassic compositions, the incompatible trace element systematics (e.g., Ba/Nb) of these rocks are typical of archetypal kimberlites and unlike those of cratonic lamproites. The Sr-Nd-Hf isotopic composition of the bulk samples range between moderately depleted values (age-corrected 87Sr/86Sr ∼ 0.7032; εNd = +3.8; εHf = +3.9) resembling the common depleted (Prevalent Mantle or PREMA-like) kimberlite component and more geochemically enriched compositions (87Sr/86Sr ∼ 0.7058; εNd = −0.4; εHf = +0.3). The direct relationship between bulk-rock Nd isotopes and average Mg# of magmatic olivine, combined with the previously reported correlation between average Mg# of magmatic and xenocrystic olivine of lithospheric mantle derivation in these kimberlites, suggests that the observed spread in radiogenic isotope compositions stems from the following petrogenetic scenario. Primary kimberlite melts of similar asthenospheric origin with unradiogenic Sr and moderately radiogenic Nd and Hf isotopes interacted with variably metasomatised (i.e., containing phlogopite) and hence geochemically enriched lithospheric mantle wall rocks. Mass balance calculations suggest that the transfer of incompatible elements to the asthenospheric melts was mediated by incongruent melting of metasomatic components in the lithospheric mantle rather than their bulk addition. This study reinforces previous suggestions that interaction between carbonate-rich asthenospheric melts and the sub-continental lithospheric mantle can generate the range of potassic magmas observed within cratons.

Olivine in Kimberlites: Magma Evolution from Deep Mantle to Eruption

Abstract Elucidating the origin, composition and physical properties of primary kimberlite melts is crucial to our understanding of their source, petrogenesis, ascent mechanisms and ultimately the origin of diamonds. Recently, there has been a growing interest in the study of olivine, which is one of the most abundant minerals in kimberlites with xenocrystic, metamorphic (mantle) and magmatic origins. Olivine is one of the earliest minerals to crystallise in kimberlite magmas, and the presence of ubiquitous zoning (e.g. cores, internal zones, transitional zones, rims, rinds, outmost rinds) and different generations (i.e. primary, pseudosecondary and secondary) of crystal/melt/fluid inclusions in euhedral olivine grains has been shown to provide fundamental insights into the composition and evolution of kimberlite melts. In this contribution, we review and evaluate the following: (1) the widely accepted notion that kimberlite olivine has two distinct origins—xenocrystic and magmatic. We present detailed electron microprobeX-ray element maps of well-preserved and zoned euhedral olivine microcrysts from the Koala and Mark (Lac de Gras, Canada) and Udachnaya-East (Siberia, Russia) kimberlites to show that the cores of olivine occasionally adopt euhedral shapes, which is commonly defined by the distribution of Ni. We present a scenario in which mantle olivine was recrystallised by the early (or proto-) kimberlite melt/fluid infiltrating through the lithospheric mantle to form euhedral ‘pyrocrysts’ (i.e. olivine that formed via re-crystallisation in the mantle in the presence of a melt), which in turn become cores for the subsequent crystallisation of magmatic olivine during kimberlite magma ascent and emplacement. (2) The evolution of ideas using different geochemical, petrological, experimental and melt inclusion approaches to constrain the composition of the primary/parental kimberlite melt. Based on our assessment of available data, in particular using melt inclusions, we propose that kimberlites originated from melts that were initially Si-poor, and Na-K-F-Cl-P-S-bearing and Ca-Mg-carbonate-rich. With this model composition for the primary/parental kimberlite melt considered, we emphasise the implications for the evolution of olivine and its role in the kimberlite petrogenesis. Furthermore, we present a comprehensive model outlining the key stages involved in the petrogenesis of kimberlites, ranging from the generation of the proto kimberlite melt in the mantle, its interaction with mantle silicates during ascent, the role of liquid immiscibility in driving magma differentiation and CO2 degassing and its emplacement and modification in the crust. Finally, we discuss prospective directions that may further guide the future of kimberlite petrological research.

Towards composition of carbonatite melts in peridotitic mantle

It is generally accepted that carbonatite metasomatism in the subcontinental lithospheric mantle (SCLM) inevitably causes wehrlitization of the primary lherzolite substrate. However, the K-rich carbonatite inclusions in kimberlitic diamonds containing orthopyroxene indicate that this is not always the case. In the present study, we equilibrated natural garnet lherzolite with carbonate melts containing 33–38 wt% K2O with various Ca# = 10, 20, 30, and 40 at 6 GPa and 1200–1500°C, where Ca# = 100⋅Ca/(Ca+Mg+Fe). The original ratio of peridotite to carbonate was 58 to 42 by weight. In the studied temperature range, the melt retains essentially carbonate composition with silica content increasing from 1 to 11–12 wt%. The melt with Ca# 10 alters lherzolite to harzburgite, replacing clinopyroxene by orthopyroxene and decreasing CaO content in garnet below 4 wt%. The melts with Ca# 20-30 also consume clinopyroxene; although CaO content in garnet remains in the range of lherzolitic compositions. The melt with Ca# 40 yields wehrlitization, consuming orthopyroxene, increasing clinopyroxene fraction, and increasing CaO content in garnet above 6 wt%. After the interaction, the Ca# of the melt changes as follows 10 → 16–28, 20 → 20–33, 30 → 27–34, and 40 → 30–34. The olivine + orthopyroxene + clinopyroxene + garnet assemblage was found in equilibrium with carbonatite melt with Ca# 34 at 1200°C and Ca# 30 at 1400°C. Thus, K-rich (26–35 wt% K2O) carbonatite melts with Ca# = 30-34 can appear in equilibrium with garnet lherzolite, while the melts with Ca# < 30 and > 34 can be in equilibrium with harzburgite and wehrlite, respectively, at 6 GPa and 1200–1400°C. Considering that Ca-Mg-Fe carbonates do not melt at the geothermal conditions of the SCLM, while sodic, dolomitic melt causes wehrlitization, high-Mg (Ca# < 35) K-rich dolomitic melt is the only possible carbonatite fluids that are thermodynamically stable in equilibrium with garnet harzburgites and lherzolites in the SCLM at a depth of about 200 km. At higher temperatures corresponding to the underlying asthenosphere, the high alkalinity ceases to be a requirement for the stability of the carbonate melt. Nevertheless, the regularities established here for the K-rich melts remain valid for less alkaline (4–15 wt% Na2O+K2O) primary kimberlite (i.e., mantle carbonatite) melts in the sublithospheric mantle.

Confocal Raman spectroscopic study of melt inclusions in olivine of mantle xenoliths from the Bultfontein kimberlite pipe (Kimberley cluster, South Africa): Evidence for alkali‐rich carbonate melt in the mantle beneath Kaapvaal Craton

AbstractIdentifying the composition of primary/primitive mantle melts is crucial for understanding the mantle's evolution and mantle‐derived magmatism. Melt inclusions in mantle xenoliths provide key information about such melts. This study used confocal Raman spectroscopy to characterize mineral assemblage of unexposed crystallized secondary melt inclusions in the olivine from the xenoliths of the sheared garnet peridotites from the Bultfontein kimberlite pipe (Kimberley cluster, Kaapvaal Craton, South Africa). The studied peridotites originated from 112‐ to 146‐km mantle depths. In total, 16 minerals were identified among daughter crysatls, which include carbonates (calcite, magnesite, dolomite), alkali carbonates (eitelite, nyerereite, gregoryite/natrite, K–Na–Ca–carbonate (K,Na)2Ca(CO3)2 (K analogue of nyerereite), alkali carbonates with additional anions (northupite, bradleyite, burkeite), alkali sulfates (glauberite, thenardite, aphthitalite), apatite, tetraferriphlogopite, and magnetite. Several more daughter minerals gave distinct Raman spectra, but they were not determined due to the lack of similar spectra in the databases. Carbonates are predominant among the daughter minerals in the melt inclusions. Many daughter minerals are rich in alkalis. These facts indicate that melt(s), parental for the inclusions, is alkali‐rich carbonate in composition. Two possible models were suggested for the origin of these melt inclusions: (1) in situ fracturing of olivine and the mantle melt infiltration shortly before the sheared peridotites were entrained by the ascending kimberlitic magma; (2) infiltration of the transporting kimberlite melt into xenoliths during ascent. Both models imply that the alkali‐rich carbonate melt(s) that interacted with peridotites originated at a greater depth than the entrapment level of studied xenoliths (&gt;150 km), that is, at the base of the lithosphere or in the asthenosphere. This melt is genetically related to the kimberlite magmatism that formed the Bultfontein pipe and points at the alkali‐rich carbonate composition of primary kimberlite melt.

Thermobarometry of CO2-rich, silica-undersaturated melts constrains cratonic lithosphere thinning through time in areas of kimberlitic magmatism

Cratonic lithosphere is believed to have been chemically buoyant and mechanically resistant to destruction over billions of years. Yet the absence of cratonic roots at some Archean terrains casts doubt on the craton stability and longevity on a global scale. As unique mantle-derived melts at ancient continents, silica-poor, kimberlitic melts are ideal tools to constrain the temporal variation of lithosphere thickness and the processes affecting the lithosphere root. However, no reliable thermobarometer exists to date for strongly silica-undersaturated, mantle-derived melts. Here we develop a new thermobarometer for silica-poor, CO2-rich melts using high-temperature, high-pressure experimental data. Our barometer is calibrated based on a new observation of pressure-dependent variation of Al2O3 in partial melts saturated with garnet and olivine, while our thermometer is calibrated based on the well-known olivine-melt Mg-exchange. For applications to natural magmas, we also establish a correction scheme to estimate their primary melt compositions.Applying this liquid-based thermobarometer to the estimated primary melt compositions for a global kimberlite dataset, we show that the equilibration depths between primary kimberlite melts and mantle peridotites indicate a decrease of up to ∼150 km in cratonic lithosphere thickness globally during the past ∼2 Gyr. Together with the temporal coupling between global kimberlite frequency and cold subduction flux since ∼2 Gyr ago, our results imply a causal link between lithosphere thinning and supply of CO2-rich melts enhanced by deep subduction of carbonated oceanic crusts. While hibernating at the lithosphere root, these melts chemically metasomatize and rheologically weaken the rigid lithosphere and consequently facilitate destruction through convective removal in the ambient mantle or thermo-magmatic erosion during mantle plume activities.

A genetic story of olivine crystallisation in the Mark kimberlite (Canada) revealed by zoning and melt inclusions

Elucidating the composition of primary kimberlite melts is essential to understanding the nature of their source, petrogenesis, rheology, transport and ultimately the origin of diamonds. Kimberlite rocks are typically comprised of abundant olivine (~25–60 vol%), which occurs as individual grains of variable size and morphology, and includes xenocrysts and zoned phenocrysts. Zoning patterns and inclusions in olivine can be used to decipher the petrogenetic history of kimberlites, starting from their generation in the mantle through to emplacement in the crust. This study examines well-preserved, euhedral, zoned olivine crystals from the Mark kimberlite (Lac de Gras, Canada). Olivine typically consists of xenocrystic cores, which are homogeneous in composition but vary widely between grains (Fo88.1–93.6). These cores are in turn surrounded by (in order of crystallisation) magmatic rims and Mg-rich rinds (Fo95.3–98.1). In addition, we document a new type of olivine zone (‘outmost rind’) that overgrows Mg-rich rinds.Crystal and melt/fluid inclusions are abundant in olivine and preserve a record of kimberlite melt evolution. For the first time in the studies of kimberlite olivine, we report primary melt inclusions hosted in Mg-rich olivine rinds. In addition, we observe that pseudosecondary melt/fluid inclusions are restricted to interior olivine zones (cores, rims) and are considered to have formed prior to rind formation. Pseudosecondary melt/fluid inclusions are inferred to have been entrapped at depth, as evidenced by measured densities in thermometric experiments of CO2 and decrepitation haloes, indicating a minimum entrapment pressure of ~200–450 MPa (or ~6–15 km). Both primary and pseudosecondary melt inclusions in olivine have daughter minerals dominated by CaMg and K-Na-Ba-Sr-bearing carbonates, K-Na-chlorides along with subordinate silicates (e.g., phlogopite, monticellite), Fe-Mg-Al-Ti-spinel, perovskite, phosphates and sulphates/sulphides and periclase. In addition to phases reported in primary melt inclusions, pseudosecondary melt inclusions contain more diverse and exotic daughter mineral assemblages, where they contain phases such as tetraferriphlogopite Ba- or K-sulphates, kalsilite and Na-phosphates. The daughter mineral assemblages are consistent with a silica-poor, alkali dolomitic carbonatite melt. We demonstrate that the different types of inclusions in olivine can assist in constraining the timing of multi-stage olivine growth and the composition of the crystallising melt.The large variance in olivine zoning patterns, morphologies and Ni distribution (i.e. both coupling with and decoupling from Fo) indicates that olivine in the studied Mark kimberlite samples represent an accumulation of olivine, where olivine was derived from successive stages of the ascending magma and/or from multiple, but related pulses of magma. Primary and pseudosecondary melt/fluid inclusions in olivine indicate that a variably differentiated silica-poor, halogen-bearing, alkali-dolomitic melt crystallised and transported olivine in the Mark kimberlite.

What is a Kimberlite? Petrology and Mineralogy of Hypabyssal Kimberlites

Hypabyssal kimberlites are subvolcanic intrusive rocks crystallised from mantle-derived magmas poor in SiO2 and rich in CO2 and H2O. They are complex, hybrid rocks containing significant amounts of mantle-derived fragments, primarily olivine with rare diamonds, set in a matrix of essentially magmatic origin. Unambiguous identification of kimberlites requires careful petrographic examination combined with mineral compositional analyses. Melt inclusion studies have shown that kimberlite melts contain higher alkali concentrations than previously thought but have not clarified the ultimate origin of these melts. Because of the hybrid nature of kimberlites and their common hydrothermal alteration by fluids of controversial origin (magmatic and/or crustal), the composition of primary kimberlite melts remains unknown.

Composition of primary kimberlite melt in a garnet lherzolite mantle source: constraints from melting phase relations in anhydrous Udachnaya-East kimberlite with variable CO2 content at 6.5 GPa

The critical issue in the study of kimberlites, known as principal host rocks of diamonds, is the reconstruction of their primary melt composition, which is poorly constrained due to contamination by xenogenic materials, significant loss of volatiles during eruption, and post-magmatic alteration. It is generally accepted that the last equilibration of primary kimberlite melt with surrounding mantle (garnet lherzolite) occurred beneath cratons at 5–7GPa (150–230km depths). However, the subliquidus mineral assemblages obtained in kimberlite melting experiments at mantle pressures differ from lherzolite, probably owing to unaccounted loss of CO2. Here we present experiments at 6.5GPa and 1200–1600°C on unaltered kimberlite with an addition of 2–22mol% CO2 over its natural abundance in the rock (13mol%), but keeping proportions of other components identical to those in an exceptionally fresh anhydrous kimberlite from Udachnaya-East pipe in Siberia. We found that the partial melt achieves equilibrium with garnet lherzolite at 1500°C and 19–23mol% CO2 in the system. Under these conditions this melt contains (mol%): SiO2=9, FeO=6–7, MgO=23–26, CaO=16, Na2O=4, K2O=1, and CO2=30–35. We propose, therefore, the alkali-rich carbonatitic composition of primary kimberlite melt and loss of 34–45mol% (34–46wt%) CO2 during ascent of the kimberlite magma to the surface.

The Late Cretaceous diamondiferous pyroclastic kimberlites from the Fort à la Corne (FALC) field, Saskatchewan craton, Canada: Petrology, geochemistry and genesis

The Late Cretaceous (ca. 100Ma) diamondiferous Fort à la Corne (FALC) kimberlite field in the Saskatchewan (Sask) craton, Canada, is one of the largest known kimberlite fields on Earth comprising essentially pyroclastic kimberlites. Despite its discovery more than two decades ago, petrological, geochemical and petrogenetic aspects of the kimberlites in this field are largely unknown. We present here the first detailed petrological and geochemical data combined with reconnaissance Nd isotope data on drill-hole samples of five major kimberlite bodies. Petrography of the studied samples reveals that they are loosely packed, clast-supported and variably sorted, and characterised by the presence of juvenile lapilli, crystals of olivine, xenocrystal garnet (peridotitic as well as eclogitic paragenesis) and Mg-ilmenite. Interclast material is made of serpentine, phlogopite, spinel, carbonate, perovskite and rutile. The mineral compositions, whole-rock geochemistry and Nd isotopic composition (Nd: +0.62 to −0.37) are indistinguishable from those known from archetypal hypabyssal kimberlites. Appreciably lower bulk-rock CaO (mostly <5wt%) and higher La/Sm ratios (12–15; resembling those of orangeites) are a characteristic feature of these rocks. Their geochemical composition excludes any effects of significant crustal and mantle contamination/assimilation. The fractionation trends displayed suggest a primary kimberlite melt composition indistinguishable from global estimates of primary kimberlite melt, and highlight the dominance of a kimberlite magma component in the pyroclastic variants. The lack of Nb-Ta-Ti anomalies precludes any significant role of subduction-related melts/fluids in the metasomatism of the FALC kimberlite mantle source region. Their incompatible trace elements (e.g., Nb/U) have OIB-type affinities whereas the Nd isotope composition indicates a near-chondritic to slightly depleted Nd isotope composition. The Neoproterozoic (~0.6–0.7Ga) depleted mantle (TDM) Nd model ages coincide with the emplacement age (ca. 673Ma) of the Amon kimberlite sills (Baffin Island, Rae craton, Canada) and have been related to upwelling protokimberlite melts during the break-up of the Rodinia supercontinent and its separation from Laurentia (North American cratonic shield). REE inversion modelling for the FALC kimberlites as well as for the Jericho (ca. 173Ma) and Snap Lake (ca. 537Ma) kimberlites from the neighbouring Slave craton, Canada, indicate all of their source regions to have been extensively depleted (~24%) before being subjected to metasomatic enrichment (1.3–2.2%) and subsequent small-degree partial melting. These findings are similar to those previously obtained on Mesozoic kimberlites (Kaapvaal craton, southern Africa) and Mesoproterozoic kimberlites (Dharwar craton, southern India). The striking similarity in the genesis of kimberlites emplaced over broad geological time and across different supercontinents of Laurentia, Gondwanaland and Rodinia, highlights the dominant petrogenetic role of the sub-continental lithosphere. The emplacement of the FALC kimberlites can be explained both by the extensive subduction system in western North America that was established at ca. 150Ma as well as by far-field effects of the opening of the North Atlantic ocean during the Late Cretaceous.

Origin of salts and alkali carbonates in the Udachnaya East kimberlite: Insights from petrography of kimberlite phases and their carbonate and evaporite xenoliths

The Udachnaya East kimberlite is characterized by the presence of chlorides, sulfates and alkali carbonates. This highly atypical mineralogy underpinned a model for an anhydrous alkali-rich primary kimberlite melt, despite the absence of petrographic studies providing textural context to the exotic minerals. The present work documents the petrography of the Udachnaya East kimberlite in order to address this problem. The pipe comprises two varieties of Fort-a-la-Corne type pyroclastic kimberlite, olivine-rich and magmaclast-rich, and coherent kimberlite. These kimberlites entrain xenoliths of limestones, altered shales and siltstones, halite-dominated rocks, dolomites, and coarse calcite rocks. The distinct varieties of the Udachnaya East kimberlite carry different populations of crustal xenoliths, which partially control the mineralogy of the host kimberlite. In magmaclast-rich pyroclastic kimberlite, where halite is absent from the crustal xenoliths, it is not observed in the interclast matrix, or within the magmaclasts. Halite occurs in the interclast matrix of olivine-rich pyroclastic kimberlite, where halite xenoliths are common. Large, ~30cm halite xenoliths are uniquely restricted to the coherent kimberlite and show a strong reaction with it. The halite xenoliths are sourced from depths of −1500 to −630m, where carbonate beds host multiple karst cavities filled with halite and gypsum and occasional sedimentary evaporites. The style of secondary mineralization at Udachnaya depends on whether the kimberlite is coherent or pyroclastic. Shortite, pirssonite and other alkali carbonates replacing calcite and possibly serpentine are abundant only in porous pyroclastic kimberlites of both types and in their shale/siltstone xenoliths. The lower porosity of the coherent kimberlite prevented the interaction of kimberlite with Na brines. Serpentinization localized around halite xenoliths started at temperatures above 500°C, as indicated by its association with high-temperature iowaite. The model of the “dry” Na and Cl-rich primary kimberlite melt is invalidated on the basis of 1) the restriction of exotic salt minerals to certain kimberlite types and xenoliths; and 2) the absence of halite-rich melt inclusions in olivine of coherent kimberlite.

Melting phase relations of the Udachnaya-East Group-I kimberlite at 3.0–6.5 GPa: Experimental evidence for alkali-carbonatite composition of primary kimberlite melts and implications for mantle plumes

Experiments on the origin of the Udachnaya-East kimberlite (UEK) have been performed using a Kawai-type multianvil apparatus at 3–6.5GPa and 900–1500°C. The studied composition represents exceptionally fresh Group-I kimberlite containing (wt.%): SiO2=25.9, TiO2=1.8, Al2O3=2.8, FeO=9.0, MgO=30.1, CaO=12.7, Na2O=3.4, K2O=1.3, P2O5=1.0, Cl=0.9, CO2=9.9, and H2O=0.5. The super-solidus assemblage consists of melt, olivine (Ol), Ca-rich (26.0–30.2wt.% CaO) garnet (Gt), Al-spinel (Sp), perovskite (Pv), a CaCO3 phase (calcite or aragonite), and apatite. The low pressure assemblage (3–4GPa) also includes clinopyroxene. The apparent solidus was established between 900 and 1000°C at 6.5GPa. At 6.5GPa and 900°C Na–Ca carbonate with molar ratio of (Na+K)/Ca≈0.44 was observed. The UEK did not achieve complete melting even at 1500°C and 6.5GPa, due to excess xenogenic Ol in the starting material. In the studied P–T range, the melt has a Ca-carbonatite composition (Ca#=molar Ca/(Ca+Mg) ratio=0.62–0.84) with high alkali and Cl contents (7.3–11.4wt.% Na2O, 2.8–6.7wt.% K2O, 1.6–3.4wt.% Cl). The K, Na and Cl contents and Ca# decrease with temperature. It is argued that the primary kimberlite melt at depths>200km was an essentially carbonatitic (<5wt.% SiO2), but evolved toward a carbonate–silicate composition (up to 15–20wt.% SiO2) during ascent. The absence of orthopyroxene among the run products indicates that xenogenic orthopyroxene was preferentially dissolved into the kimberlite melt. The obtained subliquidus phase assemblage (Ol+Sp+Pv+Ca-rich Gt) at P–T conditions of the UEK source region, i.e. where melt was in the last equilibrium with source rock before magma ascent, differs from the Opx-bearing peridotitic mineral assemblage of the UEK source region. This difference can be ascribed to the loss of substantial amounts of CO2 from the kimberlite magma at shallow depths, as indicated by both petrological and experimental data. Our study implies that alkali-carbonatite melt would be a liquid phase within mantle plumes generated at the core–mantle boundary or shallower levels of the mantle, enhancing the ascent velocity of the plumes. We conclude that the long-term activity of a rising hot mantle plume and associated carbonatite melt (i.e. kimberlite melt) causes thermo-mechanical erosion of the subcontinental lithosphere mantle (SCLM) roots and creates hot and deformed metasomatic regions in the lower parts of the SCLM, which corresponds to depths constrained by P–T estimates of sheared Gt-peridotite xenoliths. The sheared Gt-peridotites undoubtedly represent samples of these regions.

Melting of kimberlite of the Udachnaya-East pipe: Experimental study at 3–6.5 GPa and 900–1500°C

200 Kimberlites are the products of crystallization of the deepest magmas generated in the Earth’s mantle (below 150 km) and are the main sources of natural diamonds. In spite of significant progress in under� standing kimberlite petrogenesis, many problems, such as reconstruction of the compositions of primary kimberlite melts and their evolution during intrusion, are still debatable. The main problem is that the com� position of kimberlites does not correspond to the composition of parental melts. First, kimberlites are contaminated by a significant portion of xenogenic material represented by xenoliths and their fragments (xenocrysts). Second, most kimberlites worldwide underwent postmagmatic alterations to various

Formation of primary kimberlite melts – Constraints from experiments at 6–12 GPa and variable CO2/H2O

Liquidus phase relations were experimentally studied in model kimberlite melts at 6–12GPa. Four starting materials were used with different CO2 and H2O contents but almost identical proportions of other components (~35wt.% SiO2, 3wt.% Al2O3, 10wt.% FeO, 33wt.% MgO, 15wt.% CaO, 0.3wt.% Na2O, and 1wt.% K2O on a 100% volatile-free basis). The liquidus phase of the CO2 richest mixture (33wt.% CO2 and no H2O) is coesite at P>6–8GPa and low-Ca pyroxene at lower pressures. In an H2O-free mixture with lower CO2 content (18wt.%) low-Ca pyroxene is the main liquidus phase and coesite was never observed in the experimental products. The addition of water (mixtures with 10wt.% H2O+9wt.% CO2 and 12wt.% H2O+5wt.% CO2) depresses the liquidus temperature and expands the crystallization field of olivine. At high pressures (>8GPa), garnet crystallization dominates near-liquidus phase relations. Based on the experimental data, possible conditions of the simultaneous saturation of kimberlite melt with olivine+low-Ca pyroxene±garnet were estimated. High-Ca pyroxene was never found in the near-liquidus assemblages despite the high-CaO compositions of the starting mixtures. It was shown that the supposed primary kimberlite melt can be in equilibrium with the garnet harzburgite assemblage at 6–8GPa and variable volatile contents, from ~15wt.% CO2 under anhydrous conditions to 20wt.% H2O and low CO2. These conditions correspond to possible parameters of kimberlite magma generation by partial melting of carbonated garnet harzburgite in the lithospheric mantle. The primary CO2 content could be higher if the kimberlite magma was poorer in SiO2 (more ‘carbonatitic’). The maximum CO2 content is limited by the appearance of magnesite on the liquidus at 20–22wt.%, which is much lower than CO2 solubility in kimberlite melt at 7–8GPa (>30wt.%). The content of H2O in primary kimberlite magmas depends on the bulk H2O content in the source, because no hydrous phases are stable near the kimberlite liquidus.

Chloride-carbonate nodules in kimberlites from the Udachnaya pipe: Alternative approach to the evolution of kimberlite magmas

Group-I kimberlites are the crystallization products of low-degree partial melts derived from the convective mantle [1, 2]. Since kimberlites are the main economic source of diamonds, the evolution of primary kimberlite melts is of great importance for deciphering mantle compositions, melting conditions, and diamond genesis. Most kimberlites consist of a brecciated mixture of olivine phenocrysts and xenogenic mantle and crustal material embedded in a fine- or coarse-grained groundmass, which is dominated by serpentine, calcite, and, occasionally, dolomite [3-5]. Thus, the evolutionary trend of kimberlite magmas is controlled by Mg silicates (high contents of MgO and SiO2) and carbonates (high contents of CaO and CO2). However, this trend can be intensely affected by interactions during ascent, the assimilation of mantle and crustal xenoliths, and the syn- and postmagmatic alteration of most kimberlite rocks. Almost all studied kimberlites around the world, even aphanitic [6, 7] or "uncontaminated" or "fresh" ones, were variably affected by these processes [7-10]. In the studying kimberlites, special attention was given to one aspect of the evolution of kimberlite magmas in mantle and crustal conditions: the entrapment of country rocks and interaction with them [3, 11]. Nodules in kimberlites (peridotites, eclogites, metamorphic and sedimentary rocks, as well as diamondiferous rocks) are usually used to estimate physicochemical and structural conditions in the subcontinental lithosphere, the properties of kimberlite magma, and the crystallization conditions of diamonds. It is convenient to study these processes in the Udachnaya kimberlite pipe in Yakutia because of a large number, diversity, and remarkable freshness of its nodules [11, 12]. Our study was focused on a new (carbonate-chloride) type of nodules recently found in kimberlites at deep levels (>350 km) of the open-pit mine at the Udachnaya-Vostochnaya pipes. Host kimberlites are also unique in chemical and mineral composition. The groundmass is predominantly olivine-carbonate-chloride in composition and shows almost no evidence of replacement [13, 14]. The presence of such nodules in unaltered kimberlites seems not to be coincidental and provides new insight into the evolution of kimberlite magmas.

Primitive Magma From the Jericho Pipe, N.W.T., Canada: Constraints on Primary Kimberlite Melt Chemistry

We report the first estimates of primary kimberlite melt composition from the Slave craton, based on samples of aphanitic kimberlite from the Jericho kimberlite pipe, N.W.T., Canada. Three samples derive from the margins of dykes where kimberlite chilled against wall rock (JD51, JD69 and JD82) and are shown to be texturally consistent with crystallization from a melt. Samples JD69 and JD82 have geochemical characteristics of primitive melts: they have high MgO (20–25 wt %), high mg-numbers (86–88), and high Cr (1300–1900 ppm) and Ni (800–1400 ppm) contents. They also have high contents of CO2 (10–17 wt %). Relative to bulk macrocrystal kimberlite, they have lower mg-numbers and lower MgO but are enriched in incompatible elements (e.g. Zr, Nb and Y), because the bulk kimberlite compositions are strongly controlled by accumulation of mantle olivine and other macrocrysts. The compositions of aphanitic kimberlite from Jericho are similar to melts produced experimentally by partial melting of a carbonate-bearing garnet lherzolite. On the basis of these experimental data, we show that the primary magmas from the Jericho kimberlite could represent 0·7–0·9% melting of a carbonated lherzolitic mantle source at pressures and temperatures found in the uppermost asthenosphere to the Slave craton. The measured CO2 contents for samples JD69 and JD82 are only slightly lower than the CO2 contents of the corresponding experimental melts; this suggests that the earliest hypabyssal phase of the Jericho kimberlite retained most of its original volatile content. As such these samples provide a minimum CO2 content for the primary kimberlite magmas from the Slave craton.