Review of the spatial distribution
of kimberlite pipes in the tectonic structures of the world
Andrii Luniachek https://orcid.org/0009-0008-9428-6551
V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University (Kharkiv, Ukraine)
Cite as
Luniachek, A. 2025. Review of the spatial distribution of
kimberlite pipes in the tectonic structures of the world. GEO&BIO, 27: 101-114. (In Ukrainian, with English summary).
doi: https://doi.org/10.53452/gb2708
pdf: gb2708_101-114-lun-fin.pdf
Abstract
Kimberlite
pipes are vertical or inclined cylindrical or cone-shaped bodies filled with
kimberlite, an ultramafic igneous rock. The diameter of kimberlite pipes can
vary from a few metres to 1.5 km, and their depth reaches several kilometres.
The geological significance of kimberlite pipes is that they are the main
source of diamonds and may contain other minerals: gold, platinum, ilmenite,
rutile, and chromite. In addition, kimberlites provide valuable information
about the composition and structure of the Earth’s mantle, as well as about
deep magmatic processes. The article researches the spatial distribution of
kimberlite pipes in the tectonic structures of the world. Kimberlite pipes can
be found on all continents. Their location is uneven, with a fuzzy
concentration in certain geographical regions. The main regions where
kimberlite pipes are concentrated are South Africa, Yakutia, Canada, and
Australia. In addition, kimberlite pipes have also been found in South America,
West Africa, Northern Europe, India, and China. It has been shown that
kimberlite pipes are located exclusively on continents within ancient platforms
(cratons) with basement of Archean and Early Proterozoic age. Most of the pipes
are located on basement elevations—shields, anteclises, and near rift zones.
There are no kimberlite pipes in the oceans. The age of the pipes and the age
of their host rocks do not correlate with each other. The age of the host rocks
is Archean or Paleoproterozoic (3500 to 1600 Ma), while the age of kimberlite
pipes varies in a wide range, from the Neoarchean to the Eocene (2800 to 45
Ma). In most diamond-bearing regions, there are kimberlite pipes located
relatively close to each other, but with significantly different ages (for
example, the Slave craton, the pipes of the Dayavik and Snap Lake deposits—55
and 535 Ma, respectively, with a distance of 100 km between them).
Understanding the patterns of spatial distribution of kimberlite pipes should
help to identify perspective areas for the exploration of new pipes, which may
lead to the discovery of new diamond deposits.
Key words
kimberlite pipes, tectonic structures, diamonds,
cratons, shields, platforms, rift zones.
Correspondence to
Andrii Luniachek; V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National
University, 4 Svobody Square, 61022 Kharkiv, Ukraine; Email: serval185@gmail.com; orcid:
0009-0008-9428-6551
Article info
Submitted:
17.02.2025. Revised: 10.04.2025. Accepted: 30.06.2025
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