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Kimberlite - Rock

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Last updated date: 25th Jul 2024
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What is Kimberlite?

Kimberlite is named as an igneous rock that's a primary source of diamonds. It is a kind of peridotite. It is highly rich in mica minerals content and usually in the form of crystals of phlogopite. Other plentiful kimberlite minerals are chrome-diopside, olivine, and chromium, etc. kimberlite pipes are quite famous structures with upright edges that are approximately circular in cross-section. The rock may have been inserted into the areas of deficiency in the mantle. Parts of the mantle rocks are often produced to the surface in kimberlites, making them a helpful source of data about the inner world.

Despite its comparative rarity, kimberlite has drawn attention because it works as a carrier of diamonds and garnet peridotite mantle xenoliths to the surface of the Earth. Its probable origin at depths greater than any other igneous rock model, as well as the extreme magma composition it displays in terms of low silica content and excessive trace-element enhancement, necessitates a thorough understanding of kimberlite petrogenesis. 

In this respect, kimberlite research has the potential to reveal details about the deep mantle's composition and melting processes that occur at or near the interface between the cratonic continental lithosphere and the underlying convecting asthenospheric mantle. 

The blue ground is another term for kimberlite.


Composition of Kimberlite

The origin and position of kimberlitic magmas are a source of debate. Their intense enrichment and geochemistry have sparked a lot of debate about where they came from, with models putting their source as deep as the transition zone or even the sub-continental lithospheric mantle (SCLM). Partially melting, assimilation of subducted sediment or derivation from a primary magma source have all been proposed as possible enrichment mechanisms.


Name and Origin Kimberlite Rock: History

The kimberlite rock was named after Kimberley, a place in South Africa. The first place identifying kimberlite. Previously, Kimberly diamonds were contained in weathered kimberlite that had been tinted yellow by limonite and was known as yellow ground. More extensive workings produced less altered rock, serpentinized kimberlite, which workers call blue ground (kimberlite diamond). 4DiamondCorp reported a sale of kimberlite diamonds from its Lace mine in South Africa during the initial time since 1931, reaching an average kimberlite diamond price of $175 per carat. Kimberlite can be found in the uplifted centers of continental areas. Other experiences involve the walls at Ithaca, N.Y., the Kimberley and Lake Argyle regions of Australia, and the lavas in the Iswisi Hills, Tanzania.

Diamondiferous kimberlite substance including diamonds, usually applied to rock or alluvial material including diamonds, but may also refer to diamond-impregnated materials, such as the crown of a diamond-impregnated drill bit.

Have you heard about the childlike kimberlite province, it is located in Canada. The first kimberlite there was found in July 2008 during research led by BHP Billiton and Peregrine Diamonds Ltd. In 2012, more than 60 kimberlites were found, 7 of which involved some gem-quality diamonds. 


How is Kimberlite Pipe Created and Used?

Magma flows into deep cracks in the Earth, forming kimberlite pipes. The magma within the kimberlite pipes serves as an elevator, accelerating the movement of diamonds and other rocks and minerals through the mantle and crust in a matter of hours. These eruptions were brief, but several times more intense than modern volcanic eruptions. According to the American Museum of Natural History, the magma source for these eruptions was three times higher than the magma source for volcanoes like Mount St. Helens.

The magma gradually cooled within the kimberlite pipes, leaving behind diamond-bearing conical veins of kimberlite rock. Diamond miners search for kimberlite, a bluish rock while looking for new diamond deposits. Diamond-bearing kimberlite pipes have a surface area ranging from 2 to 146 hectares (5 to 361 acres). The kimberlite rock with diamond is considered the best selling product that has the most value and high price.


Brazilian kimberlite clay: An overview

The Brazilian Kimberlite Clay is a company that owns many clay deposits. They have held the most powerful natural activity for skin rejuvenation and cosmetic objectives.

Also, they work on strengthening partnerships with companies that bring fitness and well-being to the Earth’s population. Their goal is to be known as innovators and owners of advanced knowledge in taking care of human beings and our planet, in the 4 corners of the world.


How Does Diamond Bearing Kimberlite Touch the Surface of Earth?


Diamond-bearing Kimberlite is a type of volcanic rock that forms deep within the Earth and rises to the surface. Other rock types incorporated into the magma as it rises through overlying formations provide the requisite buoyancy for its long climb, according to LMU researchers.

 Magmatic rocks produced deep within the Earth's interior and brought to the surface by volcanic eruptions are known as kimberlites. Magmas assimilate other minerals, collectively known as xenoliths, during their tumultuous path upward (Greek for "foreign rocks"). Diamonds are among the xenoliths contained in kimberlite, and kimberlite ores contain the vast majority of the diamonds mined today.

FAQs on Kimberlite - Rock

1. How are Diamonds Removed From Kimberlite?

Ans. The kimberlite is removed in large quantities using huge trucks and large steam scoops; the pipe is drilled from the surface as an open pit. When it goes too deep, underground mining may begin. Because of the large quantities of rock included, the mining is highly mechanized. One needs to keep in mind that early mining efforts such as those used to dig the Kimberley “big space” are now deemed old. In the early times, the blue ground was dropped in big quantities and the miners expected to remove the diamonds until weathering had become the kimberlite into the yellow ground.

2. What are Mothae Diamonds?

Ans. The Mothae diamond mine is a high-value kimberlite diamond deposit in Lesotho's countryside. Lucapa Diamond Company (70 percent) and the Government of the Kingdom of Lesotho jointly own it (30 percent ). There are two stages to the Mothae kimberlite diamond project. After commissioning a 1.1 million tonnes per annum (Mtpa) kimberlite treatment plant at the mine site in October 2018, the first phase began commercial production in December 2018. The second phase, which includes the commissioning of a new 1.1Mtpa treatment facility, is scheduled to be operational by 2021.