V. N. Zinchenko (Сatoca), A. S. Ivanov (SPMU), I. V. Ashchepkov (IGM SB RAS, GIN SB RAS)

DIAMOND-ASSOCIATED MINERALS OF THE ZARNITSA PIPE: A METHOD FOR PREDICTING CLIPPIR DIAMONDS IN WEAKLY DIAMONDIFEROUS KIMBERLITES

The article considers the geochemistry of diamond-associated minerals of the Karowe (Botswana) and Zarnitsa (Russia) weakly diamondiferous pipes – deposits containing high-quality and costly giant CLIPPIR diamonds. There is applied a predictive method for geochemical analogy to the diamond-associated minerals compositions of such pipes, according to a probabilistic geostatistics-based approach (cluster analysis). The methods of 5Е diagrams for four diamond-associated minerals – pyropes, picroilmenites, chromites and chrome diopsides, and 4E diagrams for pyropes can predict large and giant “native” diamonds in weakly diamondiferous kimberlites at the stages of prospecting and exploring diamond deposits in promising regions of Russia and the world.

Keywords: diamond, kimberlite pipe, kimberlite, associated minerals, chemical composition, mantle, lithosphere, РТ, fO2