Evaluating the diamondiferous potential of unaltered kimberlites by the population models of their composition

430 chemical analyses of rocks and their diamondiferous potential are used to identify correlations between the diamondiferous potential of rocks and their petrochemical parameters. Samples for this research were collected from selected intervals of core materials, which were also examined for diamond content (a few samples from each interval), from the Nyurbinskaya, Botuobinskaya, Internatsional??naya, Mir, Aikhal, Yubileinaya, Satykanskaya, Udachnaya-West, and Udachnaya-East pipes. Typochemical indications of diamondiferous potential are TiO₂ and K₂O concentrations and the CaO/MgO ratio. System models developed for diamondiferous kimberlites allowed distinguishing two trends of their compositional variability. One of the trends is defined by the negatively correlated TiO₂ and K₂O concentrations of the rocks. This trend is discrete and can be statistically justifiably subdivided into seven segments, each of which represents a population of compositions produced under similar physicochemical conditions. Experimental data confirm that this trend can be closely related to the diamondiferous potential. Diamond richest kimberlites are practically free of TiO₂, whereas diamond poorest ones contain as much as 3% of this oxide. The former and the latter rocks were produced at the greatest and shallowest depths, respectively. The other trend is exhibited in all populations and subdivides them into discrete groups (varieties of the populations) with systematically decreasing CaO/MgO ratio. This parameter is nonlinearly correlated with the diamondiferous potential, and its increase corresponds to a systematic increase in the melting temperature of the source material. Certain kimberlite populations contain anomalously high K₂O concentrations, perhaps, because of mantle metasomatism or the presence of fragments of oceanic crustal material in the magma generation region. In these instances, numerous diamonds could crystallize in the parental melts under high pressures (>100 kbar). The paper presents statistical analysis of pair regressions of the contents of indicative oxides and diamondiferous potential and a graphical multiple-link model for correlations between concentrations of major oxides and diamondiferous potential. Tests of the predictions of diamondiferous potential on the basis of chemical parameters confirm that these predictions are accurate in 85?C90% of the instances.     

Interaction of Titanium Minerals and Their Melts with Diamond-Forming Media (Experiments at 7–8 GPa)

Melting relations in the multicomponent diamond-forming systems of the upper mantle with a boundary of K–Na–Mg–Fe–Ca carbonate, phases of the model peridotite and eclogite, carbon, and titanium minerals from kimberlite (ilmenite FeTiO₃, perovskite CaTiO₃, and rutile TiO₂) were studied experimentally at 7–8 GPa and 1600–1650°C. Perovskite reacts with the formation of rutile in the diamond-forming silicate–carbonate melts. We discovered liquid immiscibility between melts of titanium minerals, on the one hand, and carbonate–carbon, peridotite–carbonate–carbon, and eclogite–carbonate–carbon diamond-forming melts, on the other. The solubility of titanium mineral in diamond-forming melts is negligible independent of their concentration in the experimental systems. Growth melts retain high diamond-forming efficiency. In general, the experimental results are evident for the xenogenic nature of titanium minerals in inclusions in diamond and, therefore, in diamond-forming melts. It is shown that the physicochemical factors that may correlate the diamond content with the concentration of Ti in kimberlite do not occur during the diamond genesis in silicate–carbonate–carbon parental melts containing titanium minerals and their melts.     

Mineralogy and petrography of a kimberlite-picrite dike in the northwestern Urik-Iya Graben,the eastern Sayan region

Mica kimberlite and alkali picrite were identified in the northwestern Urik-Iya Graben of the eastern Sayan region. Typomorphism of Cr-diopside and high-Cr (up to 55.22 wt % Cr₂O₃) spinel from kimberlite of the Bushkanai dike indicate that the melt was generated in the mantle, composed of spinel peridotite. The high content of Cr-spinel (45–55 wt % Cr₂O₃) microlites in the groundmass of kimberlite and small amounts of ulvospinel and titanomagnetite in the absence of perovskite testifies to the diamond potential of this kimberlite. Picroilmenite, manganoilmenite with an anomalously high MnO content (11.37–17.78 wt %), and barium titanate with (wt %) 62.21 TiO₂, 0.61 Cr₂O₃, 15.89 FeO, 4.05 MnO, 1.71 CaO, and 11.13 BaO close in composition to a new mineral species from the Murun pluton were identified in the groundmass for the first time. Kimberlite from the Bushkanai dike belongs to the Zolotitsa low-Ti geochemical type of kimberlites derived from the slightly enriched lithospheric mantle EM1. The distribution of trace elements, including REE, in picrite from the same dike corresponds to the slightly depleted asthenospheric mantle. Different mantle sources of kimberlite and picrite from the same dike indicate that these rocks are related to independent melts rather than to products of fractionation of a common parental alkaline ultramafic magma.     

Chemical composition,volatile components,and trace elements in the melts of the Gorely volcanic center,southern Kamchatka: Evidence from inclusions in minerals

Melt inclusions in olivine and plagioclase phenocrysts from rocks (magnesian basalt, basaltic andesite, andesite, ignimbrite, and dacite) of various age from the Gorely volcanic center, southern Kamchatka, were studying by means of their homogenization and by analyzing the glasses in 100 melt inclusions on an electron microprobe and 24 inclusions on an ion probe. The SiO₂ concentrations of the melts vary within a broad range of 45–74 wt %, as also are the concentrations of other major components. According to their SiO₂, Na₂O, K₂O, TiO₂, and P₂O₅ concentrations, the melts are classified into seven groups. The mafic melts (45–53 wt % SiO₂) comprise the following varieties: potassic (on average 4.2 wt % K₂O, 1.7 wt % Na₂O, 1.0 wt % TiO₂, and 0.20 wt % P₂O₅), sodic (3.2% Na₂O, 1.1% K₂O, 1.1% TiO₂, and 0.40% P₂O₅), and titaniferous with high P₂O₅ concentrations (2.2% TiO₂, 1.1% P₂O₅, 3.8% Na₂O, and 3.0% K₂O). The melts of intermediate composition (53–64% SiO₂) also include potassic (5.6% K₂O, 3.4% Na₂O, 1.0% TiO₂, and 0.4% P₂O₅) and sodic (4.3% Na₂O, 2.8% K₂O, 1.3% TiO₂, and 0.4% P₂O₅) varieties. The acid melts (64–74% SiO₂) are either potassic (4.5% K₂O, 3.6% Na₂O, 0.7% TiO₂, and 0.15% P₂O₅) or sodic (4.5% Na₂O, 3.1% K₂O, 0.7% TiO₂, and 0.13% P₂O₅). A distinctive feature of the Gorely volcanic center is the pervasive occurrence of K-rich compositions throughout the whole compositional range (silicity) of the melts. Melt inclusions of various types were sometimes found not only in a single sample but also in the same phenocrysts. The sodic and potassic types of the melts contain different Cl and F concentrations: the sodic melts are richer in Cl, whereas the potassic melts are enriched in F. We are the first to discover potassic melts with very high F concentrations (up to 2.7 wt %, 1.19 wt % on average, 17 analyses) in the Kuriles and Kamchatka. The average F concentration in the sodic melts is 0.16 wt % (37 analyses). The melts are distinguished for their richness in various groups of trace elements: LILE, REE (particularly HREE), and HFSE (except Nb). All of the melts share certain geochemical features. The concentrations of elements systematically increase from the mafic to acid melts (except only for the Sr and Eu concentrations, because of active plagioclase fractionation, and Ti, an element contained in ore minerals). The paper presents a review of literature data on volcanic rocks in the Kurile-Kamchatka area in which melt inclusions with high K₂O concentrations (K₂O/Na₂O > 1) were found. K-rich melts are proved to be extremely widespread in the area and were found on such volcanoes as Avachinskii, Bezymyannyi, Bol’shoi Semyachek, Dikii Greben’, Karymskii, Kekuknaiskii, Kudryavyi, and Shiveluch and in the Valaginskii and Tumrok Ranges.     

辽南42号金伯利岩管地质特征及找矿预测

辽南42号金伯利岩岩管主要由东部42-1号大岩管、西部42-2号小岩管和中部42-3号小小岩管组成。42-1号岩管从地表到40 m标高形态急剧收缩;42-2号岩管为烟筒状,40 m标高至-160 m标高面积比为1∶1.15;42-3岩管在-200 m标高处延深为脉状。42号岩管岩石类型为斑状金伯利岩、斑状富金云母金伯利岩、含或富含围岩角砾金伯利岩和含岩球斑状金伯利岩。岩石化学特征研究表明,岩石中w(SiO₂)、w(Al₂O₃)、w(TiO₂)值比山东胜利Ⅰ号金伯利岩和戴里值偏高,w(MgO)、w(Cr₂O₃)、w(K₂O)、w(Na₂O)、w(P₂O₅)值较戴里值偏低,但w(K₂O)、w(Na₂O)、w(P₂O₅)值比山东胜利Ⅰ号金伯利岩略高;w(ΣFe₂O₃+FeO)、w(CaO+H₂O)值与山东胜利Ⅰ号金伯利岩及戴里值相当。通过采样分析42-2号岩管金刚石含量高,42-1号岩管金刚石含量低;研究认为受造岩矿物橄榄石和金云母的影响,金刚石含量与橄榄石斑晶含量正相关,与金云母含量呈负相关;伴生矿物铬铁矿、镁铝榴石、碳硅石含量高,则金刚石含量也随之增高,为正相关;而锐钛矿于金刚石含量为负相关。基于研究区的三维建模、推覆构造研究,推测42号岩管不是根部相,其东部可能存在深部金伯利岩体。     

Experimental characterization of diamond crystallization in melts of mantle silicate-carbonate-carbon systems at 7.0–8.5 GPa

Diamond crystallization from carbon solutions in compositionally variable melts of model eclogite with dolomite [CaMg(CO₃)₂], potassium carbonate (K₂CO₃), and multicomponent K-Na-Ca-Mg-Fe carbonates was studied at 7.0–8.5 GPa. Concentration barriers for the nucleation of the diamond were determined at a standard pressure of 8.5 GPa for variable proportions of silicate and carbonate components in the growth solutions. They correspond to 35, 65, and 40 wt % of silicate components for systems with dolomite, K₂CO₃, and carbonatites, respectively. At higher contents of silicates in silicate-carbonate melts, the nucleation of diamond phase ceases, but diamond crystallization on seed crystals continues and is accompanied by the spontaneous crystallization of thermodynamically unstable graphite. In melts of the albite (NaAlSi₃O₈)-K₂CO₃-C compositions, the concentration barrier of diamond nucleation at 8.5 GPa is up to 90–92 wt % of the albite component, and diamond growth on seeds was observed in albite-carbon melts. Using mineralogical and experimental data, we developed a model of mantle carbonate-silicate (carbonatite) melts as the main parental media for natural diamonds; it was shown that the composition of the silicate constituent of such parental melts is variable and corresponds to the mantle ultrabasic-basic series. With respect to concentration contributions and dominant role in the genesis of diamond in the Earth’s mantle, major (carbonate and silicate) and minor or admixture components were distinguished. The latter include both soluble in carbonate-silicate melts (oxides, phosphates, chlorides, carbon dioxide, and water) and insoluble components (sulfides, metals, and carbides). Both major and minor components may affect the position of the concentration barriers of diamond nucleation in natural parent media.     

Zoning of Faults and Secondary Mineralization of Host Rocks of Kimberlites of the Maiskoe Diamond Deposit,Nakyn Field,Yakutia

Study of faults and secondary mineralization of host rocks of diamond-bearing kimberlites yields important data for local prediction of kimberlite bodies. Of special methodological interest are exploration data on deposits where the study of host rocks is based on a dense observation network. Factual material for this paper was collected from cores of all inclined exploration boreholes of the Maiskoe diamond deposit found in the Nakyn field in Yakutia in 2006. The paper shows a nonuniform distribution of tectonic deformations, stringer mineralization, O and C isotopes of calcite, and CO₂ content of Lower Paleozoic host carbonate rocks of kimberlites. Our data agree with different diamond potentials of two areas of the Maiskoe kimberlite body, which can be used to search for and explore deposits.     

Petrography,chemical composition,and Raman spectra of chrome spinel: Constraints on the diamond potential of the No. 30 pipe kimberlite in Wafangdian,North China Craton

Conventional diamond exploration seldom searches directly for diamonds in rock and soil samples. Instead, it focuses on the search for indicator minerals like chrome spinel, which can be used to evaluate diamond potential. Chrome spinels are preserved as pristine minerals in the early Paleozoic (∼465 Ma), hydrothermally altered, Group I No. 30 pipe kimberlite that intruded the Neoproterozoic Qingbaikou strata in Wafangdian, North China Craton (NCC). The characteristics of the chrome spinels were investigated by petrographic observation (BSE imaging), quantitative chemical analysis (EPMA), and Raman spectral analysis. The results show that the chrome spinels are mostly sub-rounded with extremely few grains being subhedral, and these spinels are macrocrystic, more than 500 µm in size. The chrome spinels also have compositional zones: the cores are classified as magnesiochromite as they have distinctly chromium-rich (Cr₂O₃ up to 66.56 wt%) and titanium-poor (TiO₂ < 1 wt%) compositions; and the rims are classified as magnetite as they have chromium-poor and iron-rich composition. In the cores of chrome spinels, compositional variations are controlled by Al³⁺-Cr³⁺ isomorphism, which results in a strong Raman spectra peak (A_1g mode) varying from 690 cm⁻¹ to 702.9 cm⁻¹. In the rims of chrome spinel, compositional variations result in the A_1g peak varying from 660 cm⁻¹ to 672 cm⁻¹. The morphology and chemical compositions indicate that the chrome spinels are mantle xenocrysts. The cores of the spinel are remnants of primary mantle xenocrysts that have been resorbed, and the rims were formed during kimberlite magmatism. The compositions of the cores are used to evaluate the diamond potential of this kimberlite through comparison with the compositions of chrome spinels from the Changmazhuang and No. 50 pipe kimberlites in the NCC. In MgO, Al₂O₃ and TiO₂ versus Cr₂O₃ plots, the chrome spinels from the Changmazhuang and No. 50 pipe kimberlites are mostly located in the diamond stability field. However, only a small proportion of chrome spinels from No. 30 pipe kimberlite have same behavior, which indicates that the diamond potential of the former two kimberlites is greater than that of the No. 30 pipe kimberlite. This is also supported by compositional zones in the spinel grains: there is with an increase in Fe³⁺ in the rims, which suggests that the chrome spinels experienced highly oxidizing conditions. Oxidizing conditions may have been imparted by fluids/melts that have a great influence on diamond destruction. Here, we suggest that chrome spinel compositions can be a useful tool for identifying the target for diamond potential in the North China Craton.     

Phlogopite in mantle xenoliths and kimberlite from the Grib pipe,Arkhangelsk province,Russia:Evidence for multi-stage mantle metasomatism and origin of phlogopite in kimberlite

We present petrography and mineral chemistry for both phlogopite,from mantle-derived xenoliths(garnet peridotite,eclogite and clinopyroxene-phlogopite rocks)and for megacryst,macrocryst and groundmass flakes from the Grib kimberlite in the Arkhangelsk diamond province of Russia to provide new insights into multi-stage metasomatism in the subcratonic lithospheric mantle(SCLM)and the origin of phlogopite in kimberlite.Based on the analysed xenoliths,phlogopite is characterized by several generations.The first generation(Phil)occurs as coarse,discrete grains within garnet peridotite and eclogite xenoliths and as a rock-forming mineral within clinopyroxene-phlogopite xenoliths.The second phlogopite generation(Phl2)occurs as rims and outer zones that surround the Phil grains and as fine flakes within kimberlite-related veinlets filled with carbonate,serpentine,chlorite and spinel.In garnet peridotite xenoliths,phlogopite occurs as overgrowths surrounding garnet porphyroblasts,within which phlogopite is associated with Cr-spinel and minor carbonate.In eclogite xenoliths,phlogopite occasionally associates with carbonate bearing veinlet networks.Phlogopite,from the kimberlite,occurs as megacrysts,macrocrysts,microcrysts and fine flakes in the groundmass and matrix of kimberlitic pyroclasts.Most phlogopite grains within the kimberlite are characterised by signs of deformation and form partly fragmented grains,which indicates that they are the disintegrated fragments of previously larger grains.Phil,within the garnet peridotite and clinopyroxene-phlogopite xenoliths,is characterised by low Ti and Cr contents(TiO_21 wt.%,Cr_2 O_31 wt.% and Mg# = 100 × Mg/(Mg+ Fe)92)typical of primary peridotite phlogopite in mantle peridotite xenoliths from global kimberlite occurrences.They formed during SCLM metasomatism that led to a transformation from garnet peridotite to clinopyroxene-phlogopite rocks and the crystallisation of phlogopite and high-Cr clinopyroxene megacrysts before the generation of host-kimberlite magmas.One of the possible processes to generate low-Ti-Cr phlogopite is via the replacement of garnet during its interaction with a metasomatic agent enriched in K and H_2O.Rb-Sr isotopic data indicates that the metasomatic agent had a contribution of more radiogenic source than the host-kimberlite magma.Compared with peridotite xenoliths,eclogite xenoliths feature low-Ti phlogopites that are depleted in Cr_2O_3 despite a wider range of TiO_2 concentrations.The presence of phlogopite in eclogite xenoliths indicates that metasomatic processes affected peridotite as well as eclogite within the SCLM beneath the Grib kimberlite.Phl2 has high Ti and Cr concentrations(TiO_22 wt.%,Cr_2O_31 wt.% and Mg# = 100× Mg/(Mg + Fe)92)and compositionally overlaps with phlogopite from polymict brecc:ia xenoliths that occur in global kimberlite formations.These phlogopites are the product of kimberlitic magma and mantle rock interaction at mantle depths where Phl2 overgrew Phil grains or crystallized directly from stalled batches of kimberlitic magmas.Megacrysts,most macrocrysts and microcrysts are disintegrated phlogopite fragments from metasomatised peridotite and eclogite xenoliths.Fine phlogopite flakes within kimberlite groundmass represent mixing of high-Ti-Cr phlogopite antecrysts and high-Ti and low-Cr kimberlitic phlogopite with high Al and Ba contents that may have formed individual grains or overgrown antecrysts.Based on the results of this study,we propose a schematic model of SCLM metasomatism involving phlogopite crystallization,megacryst formation,and genesis of kimberlite magmas as recorded by the Grib pipe.     

Origin of K-rich diamond-forming immiscible melts and CO2 fluid via partial melting of carbonated pelites at a depth of 180–200 km

Melt inclusions in kimberlitic and metamorphic diamonds worldwide range in composition from potassic aluminosilicate to alkali-rich carbonatitic and their low-temperature derivative, a saline high-density fluid (HDF). The discovery of CO₂ inclusions in diamonds containing eclogitic minerals are also essential. These melts and HDFs may be responsible for diamond formation and metasomatic alteration of mantle rocks since the late Archean to Phanerozoic. Although a genetic link between these melts and fluids was suggested, their origin is still highly uncertain. Here we present experimental results on melting phase relations in a carbonated pelite at 6 GPa and 900–1500 °C. We found that just below solidus K₂O enters potassium feldspar or K₂TiSi₃O₉ wadeite coexisting with clinopyroxene, garnet, kyanite, coesite, and dolomite. The potassium phases react with dolomite to produce garnet, kyanite, coesite, and potassic dolomitic melt, 40(K_0.90Na_0.10)₂CO₃·60Ca_0.55Mg_0.24Fe_0.21CO₃ + 1.9 mol% SiO₂ + 0.7 mol% TiO₂ + 1.4 mol% Al₂O₃ at the solidus established near 1000 °C. Molecular CO₂ liberates at 1100 °C. Potassic aluminosilicate melt appears in addition to carbonatite melt at 1200 °C. This melt contains (mol/wt%): SiO₂ = 57.0/52.4, TiO₂ = 1.8/2.3, Al₂O₃ = 8.5/13.0, FeO = 1.4/1.6, MgO = 1.9/1.2, CaO = 3.8/3.2, Na₂O = 3.2/3.0, K₂O = 10.5/15.2, CO₂ = 12.0/8.0, while carbonatite melt can be approximated as 24(K_0.81Na_0.19)₂CO₃·76Ca_0.59Mg_0.21Fe_0.20CO₃ + 3.0 mol% SiO₂ + 1.6 mol% TiO₂ + 1.4 mol% Al₂O₃. Both melts remain stable to at least 1500 °C coexisting with CO₂ fluid and residual eclogite assemblage consisting of K-rich omphacite (0.4–1.5 wt% K₂O), almandine-pyrope-grossular garnet, kyanite, and coesite. The obtained immiscible alkali‑carbonatitic and potassic aluminosilicate melts resemble compositions of melt inclusions in diamonds worldwide. Thus, these melts entrapped by diamonds could be derived by partial melting of the carbonated material of the continental crust subducted down to 180–200 km depths. Given the high solubility of chlorides and water in both carbonate and aluminosilicate melts inferred in previous experiments, the saline end-member, brine, could evolve from potassic carbonatitic and/or silicic melts by fractionation of Ca-Mg carbonates/eclogitic minerals and accumulation of alkalis, chlorine and water in the residual low-temperature supercritical fluid. Direct extraction from the hydrated marine sediments under conditions of cold subduction would be another possibility for the brine formation.     

Petrochemical and thermodynamic evidence on the origin of kimberlites

The petrochemistry of kimberlites from Yakutia and Lesotho has been studied using a silicate melt model with the SiO₂, CO₂ and H₂O derivatives as the main anions.A model has been developed, according to which the dissolution of H₂O in an ultramafic melt results in orthosilicates (H₂SiC ₄ ^-2 , H₃SiO ₄ ^– , H₄SiO₄ etc.) rather than metasilicates, while the dissolution of CO₂ produces additional hydrocarbonate complexes. It suggests that at high PCO ₂ ¹ , and where the orthosilicic calcium salt clusters are likely to be present in the magma, the kimberlite melt can break down into carbonate and silicate liquids. Therefore, the composition of kimberlite magma will be determined by the H₂O/CO₂ ratio under the relatively constant fluid pressure. This can be seen from the distinct fluidrs trend in the H₂O-CO₂-SiO₂ diagram for the Yakutia and Lesotho diamond-bearing kimberlites. The H₂O/CO₂ ratio changes with the liquidus temperature along this trend (Perchuk and Vaganov 1977) which suggests that liquid immiscibility predominates over the simple CO₂ solubility in the melts of kimberlite composition. The well-known Boyd's diagrams for the equilibrium PT-conditions in peridotites have been applied along with new experimental data to natural Cpx and Opx, and the PT-parameters were correlated for peridotite inclusions in kimberlite pipes in Yakutia and Lesotho. The liquidus temperatures for the extrapolated area of these correlations gave depths (pressures) at which kimberlite magmas are formed (200–250 km).The hypothesis on SiO₂ partitioning between the melt and the fluid was used to calculate the composition of dry initial kimberlite which characterised the average mantle composition: SiO₂ — 45.12; TiO₂ — 2.49; Al₂O₃ — 3.58; Cr₂O₃ — 0.12; FeO — 9.32; MnO — 0.16; CoO — 0.11; MgO — 23.47; CaO — 13.44; Na₂O — 0.20; K₂O — 1.12; P₂O₅ — 0.69; S — 0.18; sum — 100 wt.%. This kimberlite is close to wehrlite in composition.     

Unusual acid melts in the area of the unique Rosia Montana gold deposit, Apuseni Mountains, Romania: Evidence from inclusions in quartz

Crystalline and melt inclusions were studied in large (up to 2 cm across) dipyramidal quartz phenocrysts from Miocene dacites in the area of the Rosia Montana Au-Ag deposit in Romania. Data were obtained on the homogenization of fluid inclusions and the composition of crystalline inclusions and glasses in more than 40 melt inclusions, which were analyzed on a electron microprobe. The minerals identified in the crystalline inclusions are plagioclase (An 51–62), orthoclase, micas (biotite and phengite), zircon, magnetite (TiO₂ = 2.8 wt %), and Fe sulfide. Two types of the melts were distinguished when studying the glasses of the melt inclusions. Type 1 of the melts is unusual in composition. The average composition of 20 inclusions is as follows (wt %): 76.1 SiO₂, 0.39 TiO₂, 6.23 Al₂O₃, 4.61 FeO, 0.09 MnO, 1.64 MgO, 3.04 CaO, 2.79 Na₂O, 3.79 K₂O (Na₂O/K₂O = 0.74), 0.07 P₂O₅, 0.02 Cl. The composition of type 2 of the melts is typical of acid magmas. The average of 23 inclusion analyses is (wt %) 79.3 SiO₂, 0.16 TiO₂, 10.27 Al₂O₃, 0.63 FeO, 0.08 MnO, 0.29 MgO, 1.83 CaO, 3.56 Na₂O, 2.79 K₂O (Na₂O/K₂O = 1.28), 0.08 P₂O₅, 0.05 Cl. The compositions of these melts significantly differ in concentrations of Ti, Al, Fe, Mg, Ca, Na, and K. The high analytical totals of the analyses (close to 100 wt %, more specifically 98.9 and 99.0 wt %, respectively) testify that the melts were generally poor in water. Two inclusions of type 1 and two inclusions of type 2 were analyzed on an ion probe, and their analyses show remarkable differences in the concentrations of certain trace elements. These concentrations (in ppm) are for the melts of types 1 and 2, respectively, as follows: 10.0 and 0.69 for Be, 29.3 and 5.7 for B, 6.4 and 1.4 for Cr, 146 and 6.9 for V, 74 and 18 for Cu, 92 and 29 for Rb, 45 and 15 for Zr, 1.7 and 0.6 for Hf, 10.3 and 2.3 for Pb, and 52 and 1.3 for U. The Th/U ratio of these two melt types are also notably different: 0.04 and 0.19 for type 1 and 2.0 and 2.9 for type 2. These data led us to conclude that the magmatic melts were derived from two different sources. Our data on the melts of type 1 testify that the magmatic chamber was contaminated with compositionally unusual crustal rocks (perhaps, sedimentary, metamorphic, or hydrothermal rocks enriched in Si, Fe, Mg, U, and some other components). This can explain the ore-forming specifics of magmatic chambers in the area.     

The Composition of Melt Inclusions in Minerals from Tephra of the Soil–Pyroclastic Cover of Simushir Island (Central Kuril Islands)

The compositions of approximately 70 naturally quenched melt inclusions in olivine, clinopyroxene, orthopyroxene, and plagioclase phenocrysts from tephra of the soil–pyroclastic cover of Simushir Island (Central Kuril Islands) were studied. The concentrations of the major rock-forming components, H₂O, S, and Cl were analyzed in inclusions. The reconstructed melts contain 48.6–78.4 wt % SiO₂, 0.3–8.26 wt % MgO, and 0.12–1.72 wt % K₂O. The concentration of S and Cl in the melts changes regularly with increasing SiO₂ content: from 0.14 to ~0.02 wt % S and from ~0.05 to ~0.28 wt % Cl. The content of H2O in parental melts is 4.2–4.5 wt %.     

Mineral equilibria of diamond-forming carbonate-silicate systems

Based on experimental and mineralogical data, the model of mantle carbonate-silicate (carbonatite) melts as dominating parental media for natural diamonds was substantiated. It was demonstrated that the compositions of silicate constituents of parental melts were variable and saturated with respect to mantle rocks, namely pyrope peridotite, garnet pyroxenite, and eclogite. Based on concentration contributions and role in diamond genesis, major (carbonate and silicate) and minor (admixture) components were distinguished. The latter components may be both soluble (oxides, phosphates, chlorides, carbon dioxide, and water) and insoluble (sulfides, metals, and carbides) in silicate-carbonate melts. This paper presents the results of a study of diamond crystallization in multicomponent melts of variable composition with carbonate components (K₂CO₃, CaCO₃ · MgCO₃, and K-Na-Ca-Mg-Fe carbonatite) and silicate components represented by model peridotite (60 wt % olivine, 16 wt % orthopyroxene, 12 wt % clinopyroxene, and 12 wt % garnet) and eclogite (50 wt % garnet and 50 wt % clinopyroxene). Carbonate-silicate melts behave like completely miscible liquid phases in experiments performed under the P-T conditions of diamond stability. The concentration barriers of diamond nucleation (CBDN) in melts with variable proportions of silicates and carbonates were determined at 8.5 GPa. In the peridotite system with K₂CO₃, CaCO₃ · MgCO₃, and carbonatite, they correspond to 30, 25, and 30 wt % silicates, respectively, and in the eclogite system, the CBDN is shifted to 45, 30, and 35 wt % silicates. In the silicate-carbonate melts with higher silicate contents, diamond grows on seeds, which is accompanied by the crystallization of thermodynamically unstable graphite. At P = 7.0 GPa and T = 1200−1800°C, we studied and constructed phase diagrams for the multicomponent peridotite-carbonate and eclogite-carbonate systems as a physicochemical basis for revealing the syngenetic relationships between diamond and its silicate (olivine, ortho- and clinopyroxene, and garnet) and carbonate (aragonite and magnesite) inclusions depending on the physicochemical conditions of growth media. The results obtained allowed us to reconstruct the evolution of diamond-forming systems. The experiments revealed similarity between the compositions of synthetic silicate minerals and inclusions in natural diamonds (high concentrations of Na in garnets and K in clinopyroxenes). It was experimentally demonstrated that the formation of Na-bearing majoritic garnets is controlled by the P-T parameters and melt alkalinity. Diamonds with inclusions of such garnets can be formed in alkalic carbonate-silicate (aluminosilicate) melts. A mechanism was suggested for sodic end-member dissolution in majoritic garnets, and garnet with the composition Na₂MgSi₅O₁₂ and tetragonal symmetry was synthesized for the first time.     

Meimechites, porphyritic alkaline picrites, and melanephelinites of Siberia: Conditions of crystallization, parental magmas, and sources

The investigation of rocks, minerals, and melt inclusions showed that porphyritic alkaline picrites and meimechites crystallized from different parental magmas. At a similar ultrabasic composition, the alkaline picrite melts were enriched in K₂O relative to Na₂O, and contained up to 0.12–0.13 wt % F and less Cr, Ni, and H₂O (only 0.01–0.16 wt % H₂O, versus 0.6–1.6 wt % in the meimechite melts) compared with the meimechite magmas. The crystallization of alkaline picrite melts occurred under stable conditions at relatively low temperatures without abrupt changes: olivine and clinopyroxene crystallized at 1340–1285 and 1230–1200°C, respectively, as compared with 1600–1450 and 1230–1200°C in the meimechites. The alkaline picrite melts evolved toward melanephelinite, nephelinite, tephrite, and trachydolerite; whereas the meimechite magmas gave rise to subalkaline picritic rocks. The partitioning of vanadium between olivine and melt suggests that the meimechite magma crystallized under more oxidizing conditions compared with the alkaline picrite melts: the K_DV values for the meimechite melts (0.011–0.016) were three times lower than those for the alkaline picrite melts (0.045–0.052). The parental magmas of the alkaline picrites and meimechites were enriched in trace elements relative to mantle levels by factors of tens to hundreds. The alkaline picrite magma showed lower LILE and LREE contents compared with the meimechite magma. The magmas had also different indicator ratios of incompatible elements, including those immobile in aqueous fluids. It was concluded that the meimechite and alkaline picrite melts were derived from different mantle sources. The former were generated at lower degrees of melting of an undepleted mantle source, and the meimechite melts were produced by high-degree melting of a probably lherzolite-harzburgite source.     

The physicochemical conditions of diamond formation in the mantle matter: experimental studies

Experimental studies of diamond formation in the alkaline silicate-carbon system Na₂O–K₂O–MgO–CaO–Al₂O₃–SiO₂–C were carried out at 8.5 GPa. In accordance with the diamond nucleation criterion, a high diamond generation efficiency (spontaneous mass diamond crystallization) has been confirmed for the melts of the system Na₂SiO₃–carbon and has been first established for the melts of the systems CaSiO₃–carbon and (NaAlSi₃O₈)₈₀(Na₂SiO₃)₂₀–carbon. It is shown that in completely miscible carbonate-silicate melts oversaturated with dissolved diamond-related carbon, a concentration barrier of diamond nucleation (CBDN) arises at a particular ratio of carbonate and silicate components. Study of different systems (eclogite–K-Na-Mg-Ca-Fe-carbonatite–carbon, albite–K₂CO₃–carbon, etc.) has revealed a dependence of the barrier position on the chemical composition of the system and the inhibiting effect of silicate components on the nucleation density and rate of diamond crystal growth. In multicomponent eclogite-carbonatite solvent, the CBDN is within the range of carbonatite compositions (<50 wt.% silicates). Based on the experimental criterion for the syngenesis of diamond and growth inclusions in them, we studied the syngenesis diagram for the system melanocratic carbonatite–diamond and determined a set of the composition fields and physical parameters of the system that are responsible for the cogeneration of diamond and various mineral and melt parageneses. The experimental results were applied to substantiate a new physicochemical concept of carbonate-silicate (carbonatite) growth media for most of natural diamonds and to elaborate a genetic classification of growth mineral, melt, and fluid inclusions in natural diamonds of mantle genesis.     

Early Cretaceous trachybasalt-trachyte-trachyrhyolitic volcanism in the Nyalga basin (Central Mongolia): sources and evolution of continental rift magmas

As shown by geological, mineralogical, and isotope geochemical data, trachybasaltic-trachytic-trachyrhyolitic (TTT) rocks from the Nyalga basin in Central Mongolia result from several eruptions of fractionated magmas within a short time span at about 120 Ma. Their parental basaltic melts formed by partial melting of mantle peridotite which was metasomatized and hydrated during previous subduction events. Basaltic trachyandesites have high TiO₂ and K₂O, relatively high P₂O₅, and low MgO contents, medium ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr(₀) ratios (0.70526-0.70567), and almost zero or slightly negative ε_Nd(T) values. The isotope geochemical signatures of TTT rocks are typical of Late Mesozoic basaltic rocks from rift zones of Mongolia and Transbaikalia. The sources of basaltic magma at volcanic centers of Northern and Central Asia apparently moved from a shallower and more hydrous region to deeper and less hydrated lithospheric mantle (from spinel to garnet-bearing peridotite) between the Late Paleozoic and the latest Mesozoic. The geochemistry and mineralogy of TTT rocks fit the best models implying fractional crystallization of basaltic trachyandesitic, trachytic, and trachyrhyodacitic magmas. Mass balance calculations indicate that trachytic and trachydacitic magmas formed after crystallization of labradorite-andesine, Ti-augite, Sr-apatite, Ti-magnetite, and ilmenite from basaltic trachyandesitic melts. The melts evolved from trachytic to trachyrhyodacitic and trachyrhyolitic compositions as a result of prevalent crystallization of K-Na feldspar, with zircon, chevkinite-Ce, and LREE-enriched apatite involved in fractionation. Trachytic, trachyrhyodacitic, and trachyrhyolitic residual melts were produced by the evolution of compositionally different parental melts (basaltic trachyandesitic, trachytic, and trachyrhyodacitic, respectively), which moved to shallower continental crust and accumulated in isolated chambers. Judging by their isotopic signatures, the melts assimilated some crustal material, according to the assimilation and fractional crystallization (AFC) model.     

徐州白露山含金刚石橄榄玄武岩地球化学特征及其岩浆演化特征

江苏徐州地区位于华北克拉通的东南部,其区内及周边广泛发育碱性超基性岩-基性岩,其中不乏含金刚石母岩,但是主要为金伯利岩。笔者在苏北寻找金刚石原生矿的过程中,在徐州白露山地区发现了含金刚石的橄榄玄武岩。本区橄榄玄武岩SiO₂含量为42.64%~51.13%,K₂O+Na₂O为2.57%~5.93%,Al₂O₃为10.48%~13.53%,MgO含量变化范围较大,为3.11%~19.34%。以主量元素做TAS图解可以看出本区基性岩的投影点基本都落于玄武岩范围,属于高钾钙碱性。微量元素特征显示白露山的样品靠近OIB和火山弧区域。富集端元明显偏高的Ba/Th比值暗示玄武岩中含有大陆下地壳物质。而白露山橄榄玄武岩元素地球化学特征及组成变化范围大并不是主要由地壳混染引起的,而是因为源区含有残留的再循环大陆下地壳。这些地球化学特征说明徐州白露山橄榄玄武岩与辽宁、山东地区金伯利岩具有一定的成因联系,为该区金刚石找矿提供了有利线索。     

大兴安岭北部诺敏河地幔金云母及钾质地幔熔体研究

在大兴安岭北部诺敏河第四纪钾质火山岩携带的地幔捕虏体中,发现少量金云母矿物和富钾地幔熔体。金云母颗粒大小1~5mm,呈网脉状充填在橄榄石和辉石、石榴子石等地幔矿物间隙。电子探针研究表明地幔橄榄石、单斜辉石、斜方辉石和石榴石等矿物几乎不含钾质成分(K2O0.01%),而金云母矿物成分具有高钾(K2O~10%)、高钛(Ti O25.41%~7.74%)的特点,暗示区域地幔钾的富集与金云母矿物有密切关系。地幔金云母的成因往往与富钾地幔流体/熔体的交代作用有关,在地幔捕虏体矿物反应边的硅酸盐熔体(囊体)中,发现富硅、富钾的熔体,K2O 4%~8%。结合前人地幔熔体研究,认为区域地幔经历了多期、不同成分地幔熔体的富集作用,其中富钾熔体对地幔钾质成分的富集起到重要作用。诺敏钾质火山正是富钾地幔部分熔融的产物,钾质熔体成分的来源可能与俯冲再循环的壳源物质有关。     

Iron and titanium solution properties in peraluminous and peralkaline rhyolitic liquids

The saturation surface of pseudobrookite (Fe₂TiO₅) was determined for melts in the system SiO₂-Al₂O₃-K₂O-FeO-Fe₂O₃-TiO₂ at 1400° C and 1 atm. The variation in concentrations of Fe₂O₃, TiO₂ and Fe₂TiO₅ in liquids can be used to infer relative changes in activity coefficients of these components with changing K₂O/(K₂O+Al₂O₃) of the melts. Saturation concentrations of these components are low and relatively constant in the peraluminous melts and increase with increasing K₂O/(K₂O+Al₂O₃) in peralkaline liquids. The activity coefficients of Fe₂O₃ and TiO₂ and Fe₂TiO₅, therefore, are higher in peraluminous liquids than in peralkaline liquids in this system. In addition, the iron redox ratio was measured as a function of K₂O/(K₂O+Al₂O₃) for liquids just below the saturation surface; was fixed so all variations in redox ratio are entirely due to changes in melt composition. The redox ratio from unsaturated liquids was applied to saturated liquids where redox analysis of the glass is impossible. The homogeneous equilibrium experiments indicate that the activity coefficient of Fe₂O₃ relative to that of FeO is significantly greater in peraluminous melts than peralkaline melts. Both the heterogeneous and homogeneous equilibria suggest that in peralkaline liquids K⁺in excess of that required to charge balance tetrahedral Al⁺³ is used to stabilize both Fe⁺³ and Ti⁺⁴. Calculations show that ferric iron and titanium compete equally effectively for charge-balancing potassium but neither can outcompete aluminum. The observed changes in solution properties of Fe₂O₃ and TiO₂ in the synthetic melts are used to explain variations in Fe-Ti oxide stabilities in natural peraluminous and peralkaline rhyolites and granites. Since the activity coefficients of both ferric iron and titanium are significantly higher in peraluminous liquids than in peralkaline liquids, Fe-Ti oxides should occur earlier in the crystallization sequence in peraluminous rhyolites than in peralkaline rhyolites. In addition, iron will be reduced in peraluminous granites and rhyolites relative to peralkaline ones under comparable P, T, and . Finally, observed crystallization patterns for minerals containing highly charged cations other than ferric iron and titanium are evaluated in the context of this and other experimental studies.