Discrimination of diamond resource and non-resource domains in the Victor North pyroclastic kimberlite, Canada

Straaten, Bram I. van; Kopylova, Maya G.; Russell, James K.; Webb, Kimberley; Smith, B. Holly

doi:10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2007.12.033

Cited by 20 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…However, even if these domains are secondary, they generally comprise only a small volume (0-15%) of the rock, and therefore the groundmass is predominantly igneous in origin. Lastly, the texture and mineralogy of the groundmass of the DCK-U kimberlite is typical of worldwide kimberlites (Shee 1984;Mitchell 1986Mitchell , 1995Mitchell , 1997Armstrong et al 2004;Caro et al 2004;Fedortchouk and Canil 2004;Roeder and Schulze 2008;van Straaten et al 2008), and comparable to those produced in experimental studies (Mitchell 1986, p.343-354;Otto and Wyllie 1993;Bellis and Canil 2007;Canil and Bellis 2008;Sparks et al 2009). …”

Section: Single Unit Of Well-crystallised Coherent Kimberlitementioning

confidence: 60%

“…De Beers Canada Inc. is currently mining the Victor kimberlite pipes for diamonds. The Victor diamond deposit comprises several cross-cutting and adjacent steep-sided kimberlite pipes (Webb et al 2004;van Straaten et al 2008van Straaten et al , 2009), emplaced within a ∼275 m thick Ordovician to Silurian sedimentary sequence which overlies Precambrian granitoid basement (Fig. 1).…”

Section: Geology Of the Victor Kimberlitementioning

confidence: 99%

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A rare occurrence of a crater-filling clastogenic extrusive coherent kimberlite, Victor Northwest (Ontario, Canada)

et al. 2011

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Kimberlite pipes can contain significant proportions of dark and dense kimberlite that have mostly been interpreted as intrusive coherent (hypabyssal) in origin. This study reports a well-documented occurrence of a fresh intra-crater clastogenic extrusive coherent kimberlite that is concluded to have formed as a result of lava fountaining. This paper focuses on a dark, dense, competent, generally crystal-rich, massive kimberlite unit within the Victor Northwest kimberlite pipe (Ontario, Canada). Using a comprehensive volcanological and petrographic analysis of all available drill cores, it is shown that this unit has a fresh well-crystallised coherent groundmass and is extrusive and pyroclastic in origin. The proposed clastogenic coherent extrusive origin is based on deposit morphology, gradational contacts to enveloping pyroclastic units, as well as the presence of remnant pyroclast outlines and angular broken olivines. This paper, and an increasing number of other studies, suggest that fragmental extrusive coherent kimberlite in intra-crater settings may be more common than previously thought. The emplacement history and volcanology of these pipes need to be reconsidered based on the emerging importance of this particular kimberlite facies.

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Section: Single Unit Of Well-crystallised Coherent Kimberlitementioning

confidence: 60%

Section: Geology Of the Victor Kimberlitementioning

confidence: 99%

A rare occurrence of a crater-filling clastogenic extrusive coherent kimberlite, Victor Northwest (Ontario, Canada)

et al. 2011

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“…the Kimberley and De Beers pipes, Clement 1982;Clement et al 1986) and also vary between early to late kimberlite intrusions as observed at the Helam Mine, South Africa (Swartruggens dyke swarm, Mc Kenna et al 2004). An increase in grade between early and late cross-cutting fragmental phases is described at the Victor pipe, Canada (Webb et al 2004;van Straaten et al 2008). Individual pulses of magma contributing to an eruption may contain varying diamond grades, and though spatially and temporally related pipes may constitute economic clusters (Creaser et al 2004), grade variations between pipes are common.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The influence of volcanological and sedimentological processes on diamond grade distribution in kimberlites: examples from the EKATI Diamond Mine, NWT, Canada

et al. 2011

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The distribution of diamonds within individual kimberlite pipes is poorly documented in the public domain due to the proprietary nature of the data. The study of the diamond distribution within two pipes, Fox and Koala, from the EKATI Diamond Mine, NWT, Canada, in conjunction with detailed facies models has shown several distinct relationships of deposit type and grade distribution. In both pipes, the lithological facies represent grade units which can be distinguished from each other in terms of relative size and abundance of diamonds. A positive relationship between olivine grain size and abundance with diamond size and abundance is observed, indicating that sorting of fragmental kimberlites influences diamond distribution. Though surface geological processes do not control the diamond potential of the erupting magma, they can be responsible for concentrating diamonds into economically significant proportions. A good understanding of the eruption, transport and depositional processes responsible for the individual lithological units and the diamond distribution within them is important for successful resource estimation. This may lead to recognition of areas suitable for selective mining, making a marginal deposit economic.

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“…A good understanding of the magmatic history of the kimberlite is necessary to ascertain whether diamonds could survive the rapid journey from the upper mantle to the surface of the Earth. It has been shown that spinel commonly forms throughout the kimberlite crystallization [22], and thus the morphology and composition of magmatic spinel may be useful in deciphering the kimberlite crystallization history [23,24], and the temperature and oxygen fugacity in kimberlite magma during magmatic spinel formation could be estimated [25].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Geochemistry of Magmatic and Xenocrystic Spinel in the No.30 Kimberlite Pipe (Liaoning Province, North China Craton): Constraints on Diamond Potential

Zhu

Ding

et al. 2019

Minerals

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There are two genetic types of spinel (magmatic spinel crystallizing directly from kimberlite magma and xenocrystic spinel derived from mantle xenoliths) in the No.30 kimberlite pipe (Liaoning Province, North China Craton). Their geochemistry is investigated to reveal processes of diamond capture and resorption during kimberlite magmatism to constrain the diamond potential. Magmatic spinels are mostly euhedral to subhedral, 20 to 60 µm in size, and have compositional zones: the cores are classified as chromite with high Cr and Mg contents, and the rims are classified as magnetite with low Cr and high ferric Fe. The compositional trends suggest that magmatic spinel and olivine phenocrysts are crystallized contemporaneously during the early stages of kimberlite crystallization. During this period, temperature (T) and oxygen fugacity (fO2) values calculated at an assumed pressure of 1 GPa are in the range of 994–1274 °C and 1.6–2.4 log fO2 units below the nickel-nickel oxide (NNO) buffer, respectively. The high values of fO2 suggest heavy diamond resorption during kimberlite magmatism. Estimated temperatures of xenocrystic spinel range from 828 to 1394 °C, and their distributions indicate that only a small proportion of xenocrystic spinels are derived from the diamond stabilization field, which suggests a low potential of diamond capture. The low diamond capture and heavy diamond resorption during kimberlite magmatism contributed to the low diamond grade of the No.30 kimberlite.

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Discrimination of diamond resource and non-resource domains in the Victor North pyroclastic kimberlite, Canada

Cited by 20 publications

References 22 publications

A rare occurrence of a crater-filling clastogenic extrusive coherent kimberlite, Victor Northwest (Ontario, Canada)

A rare occurrence of a crater-filling clastogenic extrusive coherent kimberlite, Victor Northwest (Ontario, Canada)

The influence of volcanological and sedimentological processes on diamond grade distribution in kimberlites: examples from the EKATI Diamond Mine, NWT, Canada

Geochemistry of Magmatic and Xenocrystic Spinel in the No.30 Kimberlite Pipe (Liaoning Province, North China Craton): Constraints on Diamond Potential

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