Kimberlite composition as a guide to diamond potential

申请加拿大研究和发展赠款，用于研究魁北克奥蒂什山脉Ashton Mining Canada / SOQUEM Joint Venture Foxtrot Property的次深海相金伯利岩脉的大量化学和矿物组成。 该项目的目标是为金伯利岩开发一种新的化学分类，作为勘探工具，并寻找大块化学成分、氧化状态和钻石等级之间可能的相关性。 拟议的2年研究将构成麦吉尔大学迈克尔帕特森的硕士项目，在唐弗朗西斯的监督下。 该项目将涉及对约80个样品进行化学分析，其中大部分是浅深海相“金伯利岩”的岩芯或露头样品，但也将包括从同一矿体中获得的致密介质分离物，加拿大阿什顿矿业公司/ SOQUEM合资企业将提供这些样品的金刚石等级。 这些金伯利岩样品的一个子集将被选择用于共存的橄榄石和尖晶石的组合物的电子探针测定，以限制金伯利岩岩浆的氧化态。 该项目的目标是评估是否可将大宗化学成分用作评估金伯利岩钻石潜力的指南，并确定金伯利岩的氧化状态与其钻石等级之间是否存在相关性。 另一个好处是，将更深入地了解地球上地幔中这些外来岩石的起源。

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.