Abstract
A possible mechanism of formation of kimberlite pipes is considered. It is shown that they could have formed upon impact of a large cosmic body on the Earth in the impact's antipode region during focusing of seismic surface waves. It is established that convergence of a surface wave to the antipode region is accompanied by an increase in the wave amplitude and the wave energy density. Focusing of such a wave results in an almost vertical rupture of the Earth's crust and formation of a channel diverging to the surface — a burst pipe. Along this channel, kimberlite magma, additionally heated by deep focusing of the other waves, rises to the Earth's surface to form a kimberlite pipe. The absence of ideal cylindrical symmetry due to the inhomogeneity of the Earth's crust along the path of wave propagation leads to wave defocusing and formation of several centers of convergence, i.e., formation of a pipe field.
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Simonenko, V.A., Shishkin, N.I. Cumulation of Seismic Waves During Formation of Kimberlite Pipes. Journal of Applied Mechanics and Technical Physics 44, 760–769 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1026219317310
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1026219317310