Kimberlite composition as a guide to diamond potential

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A Canada Research and Development Grant is requested for a study of the bulk chemical and mineralogical compositions of hypabyssal-facies kimberlite dykes of the Foxtrot Property of the Ashton Mining Canada / SOQUEM Joint Venture, in the Otish Mountains of Québec.   The goal of the project is to develop a new chemical classification for kimberlitic rocks as an exploration tool and to look for possible correlations between bulk chemical composition, oxidation state, and diamond grade.   The proposed 2 year study will constitute the M.Sc. project of Michael Patterson at McGill University, under the supervision of Don Francis.  The project will involve the chemical analysis of ~ 80 samples, most of which will be core or outcrop samples of hypabyssal-facies "kimberlite", but will also include dense media separates obtained from the same bodies, for which diamond grades will be made available by the Ashton Mining Canada / SOQUEM Joint Venture.  A subset of these kimberlite samples will be selected for electron microprobe determination of the compositions of coexisting olivine and spinel in order to constrain the oxidation state of the kimberlite magma.  The goal of the project is to assess whether bulk chemical composition can be used as a guide to the evaluation of the diamond potential of kimberlites, and to determine whether there is a correlation between the oxidation state of kimberlites and their diamond grade.  An additional benefit will be a deeper understanding of the origin of these exotic rocks in the Earth's upper mantle.