Inclusions in diamonds from Snap Lake kimberlites (Slave Craton,Canada): Geochemical features of crystallization

The results of integrated studies of inclusion-containing diamonds from kimberlites of the Snap Lake dike complex (Canada) are presented. Features of the morphology, defect–impurity composition, and internal structure of the diamonds were determined by optic and scanning microscopy. The chemical composition of crystalline inclusions (olivine, garnet, and pyroxene) in diamonds was studied using a microanalyzer with an electronic probe. The inclusions of ultramafic paragenesis in the diamond (87%) are predominant. Carbonates, sulfide and hydrated silicate phases were found only in multiphase microinclusions. The large phlogopite inclusion studied was similar in composition to earlier studied nanosize inclusions of high-silica mica in diamonds from Snap Lake kimberlites. Revealed features of studied diamonds and presence of high-silica mica suggest that diamonds from Snap Lake have formed as the result of interaction between enriched in volatile and titanium high-potassium carbonate–silicate melts and peridotitic substrate at the base of thick lithospheric mantle.