kimberlite
Sign in to savethumb|False-color scanning electron microscope image of kimberlite from South Africa. [[Olivine crystals (green) are in a fine-grained matrix made up of clay minerals and carbonates (presented in blue, purple and buff colors).]]
Key facts
- Rock.name
- Kimberlite
- Rock.type
- Igneous
- Rock.image
- Kimberlite (Hamilton Branch Kimberlite, Elliott County Peridotite, Late Cretaceous, ~75 Ma; between Ison Creek & Hamilton Branch, Elliott County, Kentucky, USA).jpg
- Rock.caption
- Kimberlite from the United States
- Rock.composition
- Forsteritic olivine and carbonate minerals, with trace amounts of magnesian ilmenite, chromium pyrope, almandine-pyrope, chromium diopside, phlogopite, enstatite and titanium-poor chromite. Sometimes contains diamonds.
via Wikipedia infobox
Article
20 sectionsContents
- Morphology and volcanology
- Petrology
- Group I kimberlites
- Olivine lamproites
- Kimberlitic indicator minerals
- Geochemistry
- Composition
- Elemental abundance
- Rare Earth and lithophile elements
- Volatile content
- Exploration techniques
- Indicator minerals sampling
- Geophysical methods
- 3-D modeling
- Historical significance
- Economic importance
- Related rock types
- References
- Further reading
- External links
thumb|False-color scanning electron microscope image of kimberlite from South Africa. [[Olivine crystals (green) are in a fine-grained matrix made up of clay minerals and carbonates (presented in blue, purple and buff colors).]]
Kimberlite is an igneous rock and a rare variant of peridotite. It is most commonly known as the main host matrix for diamonds. It is named after the town of Kimberley in South Africa, where the discovery of an 83.5-carat (16.70 g) diamond called the Star of South Africa in 1869 spawned a diamond rush and led to the excavation of the open-pit mine called the Big Hole. Previously, the term kimberlite has been applied to olivine lamproites as Kimberlite II, however this has been in error.