Diamond Resorption Morphology As a Fluid Proxy in Diamond- Bearing Environments: Constraints from Empirical and Experimental Studies
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DIAMOND RESORPTION MORPHOLOGY AS A FLUID PROXY IN DIAMOND- BEARING ENVIRONMENTS: CONSTRAINTS FROM EMPIRICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES by Zhihai Zhang Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Dalhousie University Halifax, Nova Scotia March 2016 © Copyright by Zhihai Zhang, 2016 TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES ......................................................................................................... vii LIST OF FIGURES ...................................................................................................... viii ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................. xii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND SYMBOLS USED ............................................ xiii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ......................................................................................... xvi CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................1 1.1. Diamond Resorption Morphology ......................................................................1 1.1.1. Classification of Diamonds .....................................................................1 1.1.2. Diamond Resorption Morphology ..........................................................4 1.1.3. Diamond Dissolution ..............................................................................8 1.1.4. Diamond Resorption Morphology as a Potential Fluid Proxy ..............13 1.2. Diamondiferous Kimberlites in the Ekati Mine ................................................16 1.2.1. Geology of the Ekati Kimberlites .........................................................16 1.2.2. Volatiles in Kimberlites .........................................................................22 1.2.3. Kimberlite Emplacement Models .........................................................23 1.3. Lithospheric Mantle beneath the Central Slave Craton ....................................27 1.3.1. General Structure of Lithospheric Mantle ............................................27 1.3.2. Volatiles in Mantle Metasomatism ........................................................29 1.4. Objectives and Thesis Structure ........................................................................31 CHAPTER 2. MANTLE-DERIVED MORPHOLOGY OF DIAMOND: RECORDS OF DIAMOND-DESTROYING MANTLE METASOMATISM IN THE SLAVE CRATON ................................37 2.1. Preface...............................................................................................................37 2.2. Abstract .............................................................................................................37 2.3. Introduction .......................................................................................................39 ii 2.4. Samples and Analytical Methods ......................................................................41 2.5. Results ...............................................................................................................43 2.5.1. Morphological Grouping ......................................................................43 2.5.2. Internal Texture .....................................................................................48 2.5.3. Nitrogen Content and Aggregation State ..............................................51 2.6. Discussion .........................................................................................................56 2.6.1. Relationship between Diamond Morphology and Internal Properties ..56 2.6.2. Resorption-based Classification............................................................58 2.6.3. Diamondiferous Sectors and Their Resorption Morphology ................59 2.6.4. Diamond-destroying Metasomatism in the Slave Craton .....................65 2.7. Conclusions .......................................................................................................66 2.8. Acknowledgements ...........................................................................................67 CHAPTER 3. DIAMOND RESORPTION IN THE MANTLE: A STUDY OF INTERNAL STRUCTURES, Δ13C AND N CONTENTS IN DIAMONDS FROM THE EKATI MINE, CANADA ........................68 3.1. Preface...............................................................................................................68 3.2. Introduction .......................................................................................................68 3.3. Geological background .....................................................................................75 3.4. Analytical Methods ...........................................................................................78 3.5. Results ...............................................................................................................81 3.5.1. Internal Structures and Corresponding Forms ......................................81 3.5.2. Carbon Isotopic Compositions of Diamonds ........................................87 3.5.3. N Contents in Diamonds .......................................................................91 3.5.4. Correlation between δ13C and N Contents of Diamonds ......................95 3.6. Summary ...........................................................................................................97 CHAPTER 4. EVOLUTION OF DIAMOND RESORPTION IN A SILICIC AQUEOUS FLUID AT 1-3 GPA: APPLICATION TO KIMBERLITE EMPLACEMENT AND MANTLE METASOMATISM ................................................................................99 iii 4.1. Preface...............................................................................................................99 4.2. Abstract .............................................................................................................99 4.3. Introduction .....................................................................................................101 4.4. Experimental and Analytical Methods ............................................................106 4.5. Results ............................................................................................................. 114 4.5.1. Synthetic Fluid Inclusions in Olivine ................................................. 114 4.5.2. Pressure Effect on Diamond Oxidation Kinetics ................................ 119 4.5.3. Diamond resorption morphology ........................................................121 4.5.3.1. Crystal Morphological Transformation .....................................121 4.5.3.2. Surface Features and Geometry of Trigonal Pits.......................124 4.5.3.3. Evolution of Trigonal Pits .........................................................128 4.5.3.4. Circular Pits ...............................................................................131 4.6. Discussion .......................................................................................................131 4.6.1. Factors Determining Diamond Resorption in Silicic Aqueous Fluids 131 4.6.2. Model of trigon formation ..................................................................134 4.6.3. Diamond Resorption in the Ekati Mine Kimberlites ..........................141 4.6.4. Metasomatism under the Central Slave Craton ..................................145 4.7. Conclusions .....................................................................................................146 4.8. Acknowledgments ...........................................................................................146 CHAPTER 5. P-X EFFECTS ON DIAMOND RESORPTION: EXPERIMENTAL CONSTRAINTS .................................................148 5.1. Preface.............................................................................................................148 5.2. Abstract ...........................................................................................................148 5.3. Introduction .....................................................................................................150 5.4. Experimental and Analytical Methods ............................................................154 5.5. Results .............................................................................................................161 5.5.1. C-O-H Fluids in Experiments .............................................................161 5.5.1.1. Immiscible C-O-H Fluids with the Subsolidus Matrix .............161 5.5.1.2. Compositions of the Aqueous and Carbonic End Members......167 iv 5.5.1.3. Formation of Fluid Inclusions ...................................................169 5.5.1.4. CO2-saturated Melts ..................................................................171 5.5.2. Diamond Dissolution ..........................................................................171 5.5.2.1. Diamond Dissolution Rates .......................................................171 5.5.2.2. Transformation of the Diamond Forms .....................................175 5.5.2.3. Surface Features on the Etched Diamonds ................................177 5.6. Discussion .......................................................................................................187 5.6.1. Immiscibility of the Binary CO2-H2O System ....................................187 5.6.2. Diamond Resorption Morphology as a Semi-quantitative Fluid Proxy ...................................................................................................189 5.6.3. What Controls the Geometry of Etch Pits on Diamond ......................195