金刚石矿物学、包裹体及碳稳定同位素研究综述

金刚石是地球上最坚硬、对形成环境要求最苛刻的矿物之一。金刚石的矿物学特征、包裹体特征及碳稳定同位素组成记录了金刚石生长、熔蚀、搬运等地质过程中的温度、压力及物质成分等信息,是探索金刚石物质来源、形成过程和地球深部物理化学环境的重要研究对象。总结了国内外金刚石矿物学特征、包裹体特征和碳稳定同位素组成的相关研究成果,发现金刚石晶形和组合及其颜色可大致区分金刚石来源; 金刚石表面特征是区分原生金刚石与砂矿金刚石的重要鉴别特征; 金刚石包裹体类型及组合、包裹体年代学及金刚石碳稳定同位素研究,可分析金刚石物质来源和地球深部物理化学环境,确定金刚石形成时代,为研究金刚石成因、地幔岩石圈深部作用过程以及壳幔相互作用提供重要依据。     

金刚石矿物学、包裹体及碳稳定同位素研究综述

金刚石是地球上最坚硬、对形成环境要求最苛刻的矿物之一。金刚石的矿物学特征、包裹体特征及碳稳定同位素组成记录了金刚石生长、熔蚀、搬运等地质过程中的温度、压力及物质成分等信息,是探索金刚石物质来源、形成过程和地球深部物理化学环境的重要研究对象。总结了国内外金刚石矿物学特征、包裹体特征和碳稳定同位素组成的相关研究成果,发现金刚石晶形和组合及其颜色可大致区分金刚石来源; 金刚石表面特征是区分原生金刚石与砂矿金刚石的重要鉴别特征; 金刚石包裹体类型及组合、包裹体年代学及金刚石碳稳定同位素研究,可分析金刚石物质来源和地球深部物理化学环境,确定金刚石形成时代,为研究金刚石成因、地幔岩石圈深部作用过程以及壳幔相互作用提供重要依据。     

金刚石矿物学、包裹体及碳稳定同位素研究综述

金刚石是地球上最坚硬、对形成环境要求最苛刻的矿物之一。金刚石的矿物学特征、包裹体特征及碳稳定同位素组成记录了金刚石生长、熔蚀、搬运等地质过程中的温度、压力及物质成分等信息,是探索金刚石物质来源、形成过程和地球深部物理化学环境的重要研究对象。总结了国内外金刚石矿物学特征、包裹体特征和碳稳定同位素组成的相关研究成果,发现金刚石晶形和组合及其颜色可大致区分金刚石来源;金刚石表面特征是区分原生金刚石与砂矿金刚石的重要鉴别特征;金刚石包裹体类型及组合、包裹体年代学及金刚石碳稳定同位素研究,可分析金刚石物质来源和地球深部物理化学环境,确定金刚石形成时代,为研究金刚石成因、地幔岩石圈深部作用过程以及壳幔相互作用提供重要依据。     

沅江辰溪地区河流碎屑石榴子石地球化学特征及其对湖南原生金刚石找矿的启示

湖南沅江是我国砂矿金刚石的重要产地,石榴子石和金刚石是砂矿中常见的重矿物,与金刚石相关的石榴子石特征研究,对揭示湖南砂矿金刚石的来源与形成条件有重要意义。本文随机选取湖南沅江辰溪地区金刚石砂矿中160粒碎屑石榴子石和5粒金刚石包裹体中的石榴子石,采用矿物学、地球化学并借鉴统计学方法对它们进行了分析比较。结果显示,碎屑石榴子石主要为铁铝-锰铝榴石系列,其中个别石榴子石含有金刚石包裹体。聚类分析、线性判别、逻辑回归分析计算显示,部分G3榴辉岩型石榴子石与金刚石可能具有成生联系。同时,两个采集地点的石榴子石类型、主微量元素具有一定的差异,其中一个地点的石榴子石样品DJZ-7-1具有与金刚石更强的亲缘性。基于本文碎屑石榴子石Si值大于3.02以及前人对湖南金刚石限定的温压条件进行分析,认为湖南金刚石可能形成于深度小于220 km的橄榄岩-榴辉岩混杂区,该区域系钾镁煌斑岩型金刚石来源的优势区域。据此,建议可在辰溪赤岩村河段上游区域进一步寻找幔源G3型石榴子石以及钾镁煌斑岩,以期发现原生金刚石矿床。     

山东郯城砂矿金刚石特征及包裹体研究

通过对115粒山东郯城砂矿金刚石样品进行矿物学和光谱学特征研究，结果显示郯城金刚石的粒径集中在1. 0~4. 0mm之间，晶体形态以菱形十二面体为主，其次八面体与菱形十二面体聚形，八面体较少；晶面形貌除倒三角凹坑、塑性变形滑移线、熔蚀沟、生长丘、生长阶梯、叠瓦状蚀象、滴状丘、晕线等原生形貌发育外，小部分发育有次生形貌 绿色色斑，且大多数金刚石的边棱清晰，磨圆程度不高。研究首次测得了郯城金刚石的拉曼特征峰的半高宽数据和金刚石包裹体拉曼谱图，显示郯城砂矿金刚石结晶程度差异较大，暗示其形成的金刚石地质生长条件和环境的复杂性；金刚石包裹体有橄榄石、黄铜矿、针铁矿、石墨矿物，其中橄榄石包裹体占比较高，表明郯城金刚石包裹体类型以橄榄岩型为主，测试结果与华北东部古老克拉通之下的岩石圈地幔大部分由橄榄岩组成的结论一致。对比郯城金刚石与蒙阴金刚石特征的异同，初步探讨了金刚石砂矿的物质来源，为揭示郯城砂矿金刚石的形成及演化提供了金刚石及其包裹体的新的证据。     

澳大利亚金刚石的成因类型及产地来源特征综述

对已经发表的数十篇关于澳大利亚金刚石的英文文献进行了梳理,从其金刚石的品质、颜色类型、形态及表面特征、生长结构及微量元素、包裹体、C同位素等方面探索了澳大利亚不同区域金刚石可能存在的产地来源特征.研究显示,澳大利亚金刚石可分为岩石圈地幔成因、超深地幔成因和俯冲环境来源等成因类型;大部分澳大利亚金刚石都因经历过强烈的晶格变形或熔蚀作用而晶体圆化,但不同产地来源的金刚石在颜色组合、橄榄岩型和榴辉岩型金刚石比例、C同位素组成特征等方面存在一定差异.上述结果表明,总体上,澳大利亚不同区域金刚石具有一定的产地来源个性,但无法简单确认澳大利亚金刚石“整体”的产地来源特征;只有结合成因来源进行分析,才能够较深入地理解不同区域金刚石的特征组合及其意义,从而为理解其产地来源的特殊性提供帮助.     

湖南砂矿金刚石包裹体原位测试:对金刚石成因来源的启示

包裹体是探究矿物结晶生长过程及其地球化学环境的重要探针,是反演寄主矿物形成机制及形成环境的有效工具。本文采用显微激光拉曼光谱、电子探针和LA-ICP-MS技术对来自湖南沅水流域的24颗宝石级金刚石的包裹体进行了原位分析。结果显示,湖南砂矿金刚石中橄榄岩型和榴辉岩型包裹体比例接近,橄榄岩型和榴辉岩型包裹体可在同一颗金刚石中"共存";湖南金刚石形成时地幔的温度和压力分别为1109~1237℃和4.05~5.83 GPa,相应的形成深度大致为133~192 km;包裹体成分及组合特征显示,扬子克拉通金刚石的形成环境与华北克拉通金刚石有显著差异,前者的形成与榴辉岩的关系更为密切,暗示有古老的地壳物质参与了金刚石的形成过程。     

超深金刚石包裹体:对深部地幔物理化学环境的指示

超深金刚石及其包裹体是探究深部地幔组成及物理化学环境的重要样本。梳理了超深金刚石中新发现的典型矿物包裹体及其组合,并结合前人高精度原位分析、高温高压合成金刚石实验的研究成果,综述分析了超深金刚石矿物包裹体及其组合指示的深度范围、微量元素与温压条件之间的关系,超深地幔水的赋存矿物相、金属相以及强还原环境新认识,残留的俯冲洋壳可能是深部地幔水的重要储库,超深金刚石及其包裹体对深俯冲及深部碳循环的指示等研究进展。指出我国学者虽然在华北、扬子克拉通金刚石中也发现了指示超深来源的矿物包裹体,在超高压金刚石形成及蛇绿岩型金刚石成因研究方面获得了某些重要进展,但对超深金刚石包裹体的研究仍然有待深入。     

冲积型金刚石砂矿与其成矿模式的讨论

中国金刚石砂矿主要分布在华北与扬子地台郯庐断裂区与沅水流域区 ,在大别山区及新疆、西藏超基性岩附近也有分布。不同时代的含金刚石金伯利岩或超基性岩带 ,经风化、剥蚀、搬运 ,形成含金刚石砂矿中间储存体 ,在水系中下游形成不同类型 (阶地、河谷、河床 )砂矿。金刚石砂矿找矿方向应是模式找矿主要有三方面 :一是矿源 ,二是中间储存体 ,三金刚石砂矿组合矿物。     

包裹体在宝石鉴定中的意义

不同地质条件下产生的宝石的包裹体及其组合不同，深成岩浆产生的包裹体以固相为主；气成热液产生的包裹体三相都有；伟晶岩产生的包裹体以气液相为主，天然宝石的包裹体以自形矿物为主并含少量的气液包裹体，而合成的宝石以人工残残余物为主，优化宝石包裹体都受到后期改造，宝石中的包裹体有的具有指示产地的意义。     

A rift model for the sedimentary diamond deposits of Brazil

Although several hundred kimberlites have been discovered in the past 20 years in Brazil, the Brazilian diamond production has been derived almost entirely from sedimentary deposits: diamond-bearing conglomerates of different ages and recent alluvials or terraces. Conglomerates as a source of diamond production may not be very significant in economic terms but are extremely important in geological terms because they are the main, known sources of the recent alluvial deposits of Brazil. In this sense, Brazil shows a sharp contrast with other large-scale producing countries, such as South Africa, Botswana, Russia and Australia, where the production comes largely from kimberlites. It has similarities with Angola and India. In the former, the Calonda conglomerates and, in the latter, the Banganapalli conglomerates are as important as sources as are the kimberlites, either because diamonds are recovered from them directly or because they feed the alluvials. But Brazil differs from these countries regarding the age of the oldest diamond finds. While in Angola they are restricted to the Cretaceous and in India to the Upper Proterozoic, in Brazil they spread from the Lower/Middle Proterozoic to the Cretaceous. Brazil is thus a very privileged area to study diamond sedimentary deposits, not only because they are numerous and have economic importance, but also and mainly because they occur in sedimentary sequences of at least four different ages. The recognition of common geological features in diamond sedimentary sequences of different ages led to the conclusion that their recurrence through time reflect fundamental processes which can be put together in a rift evolutionary model. In this study seven different diamondiferous districts in Brazil are briefly described and their rift-related features are emphasised. These features include the position in the sedimentary pile both of the diamond-bearing conglomerates and the volcanic events, as well as the proximal character in relation to growth-faults and the horizontal linear distribution of the conglomerates. The proposed model, stems from a sedimentary reasoning. It links primary diamond sources and related volcanism to rifts, and substantiates the idea that kimberlite/lamproite extrusions predate tectonic paroxysm such that, after erosion, diamonds from those extrusions end up in proximal rift-infill sediments. Here the timing of the extrusion of the primary diamond source rocks is similar to the one determined by White et al. who produced structural evidence to establish their model. Received: 13 January 1997 / Accepted: 22 July 1997     

Review on Lithospheric Diamonds and Their Mineral Inclusions

Diamonds and their mineral inclusions are valuable for studying the genesis of diamonds, the characteristics and processes of ancient lithospheric mantle and deeper mantle. This has been paid lots of attentions by geologists both at home and abroad. Most diamonds come from lithospheric mantle. According to their formation preceded, accompanied or followed crystallization of their host diamonds, mineral inclusions in diamonds are divided into three groups: protogenetic, syngenetic and epigenetic. To determine which group the mineral inclusions belong to is very important because it is vital for understanding the data’s meaning. According to the type of mantle source rocks, mineral inclusions in diamonds are usually divided into peridotitic (or ultramafic) suite and eclogitic suite. The mineral species of each suite are described and mineralogical characteristics of most common inclusions in diamonds, such as olivine, clinopyroxene, orthopyroxene, garnet, chromite and sulfide are reviewed in detail. In this paper, the main research fields and findings of diamonds and their inclusions were described: ①getting knowledge of mineralogical and petrologic characteristics of diamond source areas, characteristics of mantle fluids and mantle dynamics processes by studying the major element and trace element compositions of mineral inclusions; ②discussing deep carbon cycle by studying carbon isotopic composition of diamonds; ③determining forming temperature and pressure of diamonds by using appropriate assemblages of mineral inclusions or single mineral inclusion as geothermobarometry, by using the abundance and aggregation of nitrogen impurities in diamonds and by measuring the residual stress that an inclusion remains under within a diamond ; ④estimating the crystallization ages of diamonds by using the aggregation of nitrogen impurities in diamonds and by determine the radiometric ages of syngenetic mineral inclusions in diamonds. Genetic model of craton lithospheric diamonds and their mineral inclusion were also introduced. In the end, the research progress on diamonds and their inclusions in China and the gap between domestic and international research are discussed.     

Diamonds: time capsules from the Siberian Mantle

Diamonds are thought to be “time capsules” from the Earth's mantle. However, by themselves, consisting of nearly pure carbon, diamonds provide little geochemical information about their conditions of formation and the nature of their mantle hosts. This obstacle to studying the origin of diamonds and their hosts can be overcome by using two main approaches that focus on studying: (1) the rocks that contain diamonds, i.e., diamondiferous xenoliths; and (2) mineral inclusions within the diamonds, the time capsule's little treasures, if you will. Diamondiferous xenoliths, their diamonds, and mineral inclusions within the diamonds are the subject of this review, focusing on studies of samples from the Yakutian kimberlites in the Siberian Platform.Studies of diamondiferous eclogite xenoliths significantly enhance our understanding of the complex petrogenesis of this important group of rocks and their diamonds. Such studies involve various geochemical and petrological investigations of these eclogites, including major and trace-element, radiogenic as well as stable isotopic analyses of whole rocks and minerals. The results from these studies have clearly established that the Group A-C eclogites originate from subduction of ancient oceanic crust. This theory is probably applicable worldwide.Within the last several years, our research group at Tennessee has undertaken the systematic dissection (pull apart) of diamondiferous eclogites from Siberia, consisting of the following steps: (1) high-resolution computed X-ray tomography of the xenoliths to produce 3D images that relate the minerals of the xenoliths to their diamonds; (2) detailed dissection of the entire xenolith to reveal the diamonds inside, followed by characterization of the setting of the diamonds within their enclosing minerals; and (3) extraction of diamonds from the xenolith for further investigation of the diamonds and their inclusions. In this last step, it is important that the nature and relative positions of the diamond inclusions are carefully noted in order to maximize the number of inclusions that can be exposed simultaneously on one polished surface. In this modus operandi, cathodoluminescence imaging, plus FTIR/N aggregation and C/N isotopic analyses are performed on polished diamond surfaces to reveal their internal growth zones and the spatial relationship of the mineral inclusions to these zones.Knowledge gained by such detailed, albeit work-intensive, studies continues to add immensely to the constantly evolving models of the origin of diamonds and their host rocks in the Earth's mantle, as well as to lithospheric stability models in cratonic areas. Multiple lines of evidence indicate the ultimate crustal origin for the majority of mantle eclogites. Similar pieces of evidence, particularly from δ¹³C in P-type diamonds and δ¹⁸O in peridotitic garnets lead to the suggestion that at least some of the mantle peridotites, including diamondiferous ones, as well as inclusions in P-type diamonds, may have had a crustal protolith as well.     

Nature of diamonds in Yakutian eclogites: views from eclogite tomography and mineral inclusions in diamonds

We have performed dissections of two diamondiferous eclogites (UX-1 and U33/1) from the Udachnaya kimberlite, Yakutia in order to understand the nature of diamond formation and the relationship between the diamonds, their mineral inclusions, and host eclogite minerals. Diamonds were carefully recovered from each xenolith, based upon high-resolution X-ray tomography images and three-dimensional models. The nature and physical properties of minerals, in direct contact with diamonds, were investigated at the time of diamond extraction. Polished sections of the eclogites were made, containing the mould areas of the diamonds, to further investigate the chemical compositions of the host minerals and the phases that were in contact with diamonds. Major- and minor-element compositions of silicate and sulfide mineral inclusions in diamonds show variations among each other, and from those in the host eclogites. Oxygen isotope compositions of one garnet and five clinopyroxene inclusions in diamonds from another Udachnaya eclogite (U51) span the entire range recorded for eclogite xenoliths from Udachnaya. In addition, the reported compositions of almost all clinopyroxene inclusions in U51 diamonds exhibit positive Eu anomaly. This feature, together with the oxygen isotopic characteristics, is consistent with the well-established hypothesis of subduction origin for Udachnaya eclogite xenoliths. It is intuitive to expect that all eclogite xenoliths in a particular kimberlite should have common heritage, at least with respect to their included diamonds. However, the variation in the composition of multiple inclusions within diamonds, and among diamonds, from the same eclogite indicates the involvement of complex processes in diamond genesis, at least in the eclogite xenoliths from Yakutia that we have studied.     

Corundum inclusions in diamonds—discriminatory criteria and a corundum compositional dataset

Mineral inclusions of corundum are reported from diamonds from alluvial deposits of tributaries of the Rio Aripuanã, Juina, Brazil. We present the first recorded occurrence of sapphire as an inclusion in diamond and expand on the database of ruby and white corundum inclusions. Ruby inclusions are found to occur both as isolated and touching grains with aluminous pyroxene and associated with ferropericlase. Mineral chemistry and phase relations place the origin of such ruby-bearing diamonds within the lower mantle at 770 km. Mineral associations indaving other corundum inclusions were not observed; hence, their depth of origin is less certain.

Compositions of corundum samples were characterised by electron and ion microprobe. Given the scarcity of literature data, corundum samples from a variety of other geological settings were also analysed. Samples comprised corundums associated with granitic emplacement, metasomatism, amphibolite-facies and granulite-facies rocks, gem and industrial synthetic origins and carmine-coloured corundums recovered from kimberlite drill cores.

In addition to variable amounts of Cr, Fe, Ti, Mg and Si, measurable quantities of other transition elements and high field strength elements were also detected. Corundums from similar geological settings show very similar compositions and are easily distinguishable from other settings. Irrespective of locality, rubies from Norwegian, Tanzanian and Kenyan amphibolite-facies rocks are compositionally indistinguishable. Additionally, corundums from metasomatised zones associated with contact metamorphism from Arizona and Japan were very similar, particularly characterised by unusually high abundance of mobile Zr and Nb (tens of ppm). All Juina inclusions are particularly distinguishable from other corundums by high concentrations of Ni (18–171 ppm weight), typically at least an order of magnitude enriched over the same corundum varietal types from elsewhere. Furthermore, the sapphire inclusion exhibited much larger ratios of Ga and Ge to HFSE elements compared to otherwise similar samples, and ruby inclusions are distinguished by high Mg/Fe ratios (0.27–1.56 by weight). Compositional differences between inclusions in diamonds and corundums from other settings in addition to corundum's physical and chemical durability suggest that with the employment of rapid identification tools such as energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS) and laser-ICPMS, corundum has promise as an indicator of diamond prospectivity.     

Enigmatic diamonds in Archean calc-alkaline lamprophyres of Wawa, southern Ontario, Canada

A suite of 80 macrodiamonds recovered from volcaniclastic breccia of Wawa (southern Ontario) was characterized on the basis of morphology, nitrogen content and aggregation, cathodoluminescence (CL), and mineral inclusions. The host calc-alkaline lamprophyric breccias were emplaced at 2.68–2.74 Ga, contemporaneously with voluminous bimodal volcanism of the Michipicoten greenstone belt. The studied suite of diamonds differs from the vast majority of diamond suites found worldwide. First, the suite is hosted by calc-alkaline lamprophyric volcanics rather than by kimberlite or lamproite. Second, the host volcanic rock is amongst the oldest known diamondiferous rocks on Earth, and has experienced regional metamorphism and deformation. Finally, most diamonds show yellow-orange-red CL and contain mineral inclusions not in equilibrium with each other or their host diamond. The majority of the diamonds in the Wawa suite are colorless, weakly resorbed, octahedral single crystals and aggregates. The diamonds contain 0–740 ppm N and show two modes of N aggregation at 0–30 and 60–95% B-centers suggesting mantle storage at 1,100–1,170°C. Cathodoluminescence and FTIR spectroscopy shows that emission peaks present in orange CL stones do not likely result from irradiation or single substitutional N, in contrast to other diamonds with red CL. The diamonds contain primary inclusions of olivine (Fo₉₂ and Fo₈₉), omphacite, orthopyroxene (En₉₃), pentlandite, albite, and An-rich plagioclase. These peridotitic and eclogitic minerals are commonly found within single diamonds in a mixed paragenesis which also combines shallow and deep phases. This apparent disequilibrium can be explained by effective small-scale mixing of subducted oceanic crust and mantle rocks in fast “cold” plumes ascending from the top of the slabs in convergent margins. Alternatively, the diamonds could have formed in the pre-2.7–2.9 Ga cratonic mantle and experienced subsequent alteration of syngenetic inclusions related to host magmatism and ensuing metamorphism. Neither orogenic nor cratonic model of the diamond origin fully explains all of the observed characteristics of the diamonds and their host rocks. Electronic Supplementary Material Supplementary material is available for this article at and is accessible for authorized users.     

A study of eclogitic diamonds and their inclusions from the Finsch kimberlite pipe, South Africa

Previous studies of diamonds from Finsch have shown that eclogitic inclusions are rare at Finsch and that the eclogitic garnet and clinopyroxenes are iron and manganese-rich. In order to expand the current database of information, 93 eclogitic diamonds were selected for this study. Eight diamonds were polished into plates for cathodoluminescence studies and infrared examination of diamond growth and 31 diamonds were cracked to retrieve inclusions. The eclogitic garnets analysed in this study are enriched in Fe and are relatively depleted in Ca and Mg relative to worldwide data. FeO contents for garnet range from 15 to 27 wt.% and MnO contents reach a maximum value of 1.6 wt.%. The eclogitic clinopyroxenes have relatively high FeO contents, up to 14.8 wt.% and K₂O contents are low (<0.4 wt.%). Three non-touching garnet–clinopyroxene mineral pairs produce equilibration temperatures of 1138–1179 °C at an assumed pressure of 50 kb. No Type II diamonds were found during this study, all diamonds are of Type IaAB. Total nitrogen contents of Type IaAB diamonds range from 11 to 1520 ppm, with variable aggregation states (up to 84% nitrogen aggregated as B-defects). Distinct infrared characteristics suggest that the Finsch kimberlite sampled either more than one mantle source region of similar age but differing temperature, or two different populations of diamonds with different ages. The diamonds provide evidence of changing mantle conditions during crystallisation. Continuous diamond growth is illustrated by the presence of regular octahedral growth zones, although in some diamonds cubic growth is noted. One diamond shows evidence of platelet degradation, suggesting exposure to high temperatures and/or shearing stresses.     

Superdeep diamonds from the Juina area, Mato Grosso State, Brazil

Alluvial diamonds from the Juina area in Mato Grosso, Brazil, have been characterized in terms of their morphology, syngenetic mineral inclusions, carbon isotopes and nitrogen contents. Morphologically, they are similar to other Brazilian diamonds, showing a strong predominance of rounded dodecahedral crystals. However, other characteristics of the Juina diamonds make them unique. The inclusion parageneses of Juina diamonds are dominated by ultra-high-pressure ("superdeep") phases that differ both from "traditional" syngenetic minerals associated with diamonds and, in detail, from most other superdeep assemblages. Ferropericlase is the dominant inclusion in the Juina diamonds. It coexists with ilmenite, Cr-Ti spinel, a phase with the major-element composition of olivine, and SiO₂. CaSi-perovskite inclusions coexist with titanite (sphene), "olivine" and native Ni. MgSi-perovskite coexists with TAPP (tetragonal almandine-pyrope phase). Majoritic garnet occurs in one diamond, associated with CaTi-perovskite, Mn-ilmenite and an unidentified Si-Mg phase. Neither Cr-pyrope nor Mg-chromite was found as inclusions. The spinel inclusions are low in Cr and Mg, and high in Ti (Cr₂O₃<36.5 wt%, and TiO₂>10 wt%). Most ilmenite inclusions have low MgO contents, and some have very high (up to 11.5 wt%) MnO contents. The rare "olivine" inclusions coexisting with ferropericlase have low Mg# (87-89), and higher Ca, Cr and Zn contents than typical diamond-inclusion olivines. They are interpreted as inverted from spinel-structured (Mg, Fe)₂Si₂O₄. This suite of inclusions is consistent with derivation of most of the diamonds from depths near 670 km, and adds ilmenite and relatively low-Cr, high-Ti spinel to the known phases of the superdeep paragenesis. Diamonds from the Juina area are characterized by a narrow range of carbon isotopic composition ('¹³C=-7.8 to -2.5‰), except for the one majorite-bearing diamond ('¹³C=-11.4‰). There are high proportions of nitrogen-free and low-nitrogen diamonds, and the aggregated B center is predominant in nitrogen-containing diamonds. These observations have practical consequences for diamond exploration: Low-Mg olivine, low-Mg and high-Mn ilmenite, and low-Cr spinel should be included in the list of diamond indicator minerals, and the role of high-Cr, low-Ti spinel as the only spinel associated with diamond, and hence as a criterion of diamond grade in kimberlites, should be reconsidered.     

Physicochemical formation conditions of natural diamond deduced from experimental study of the eclogite-carbonatite-sulfide-diamond system

A diagram of the syngenesis of diamond, silicate, carbonate, and sulfide minerals and melts is compiled based on experimental data on phase relations in the heterogeneous eclogite-carbonate-sulfidediamond system at P = 7 GPa. Evidence is provided that silicate and carbonate minerals are paragenetic, whereas sulfides are xenogenic with respect to diamond. Diamond and paragenetic phases are formed in completely miscible carbonate-silicate growth melts with dissolved elemental carbon. Coherent data of physicochemical experiment and mineralogy of primary inclusions in natural diamonds allows us to prove the mantle-carbonatite theory of diamond origin. The genetic classification of primary inclusions in natural diamonds is based on this theory. The phase diagrams of syngenesis are applicable to interpretation of diamond and syngenetic minerals formation in natural magma sources. They ascertain physicochemical mechanism of natural diamond formation and conditions of entrapment of paragenetic and xenogenic mineral phases by growing diamonds.