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Oxidation state of the lithospheric mantle beneath Diavik diamond mine, central Slave craton, NWT, Canada

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Abstract

Oxygen fugacity (fO2) conditions were determined for 29 peridotite xenoliths from the A154-North and A154-South kimberlites of the Diavik diamond mine using the newly developed flank method modified specifically for measuring Fe3+ in mantle-derived pyropic garnets. The results indicate that the garnet-bearing lithospheric mantle beneath the central Slave craton is vertically layered with respect to oxidation state. The shallow (<140 km), “ultra-depleted” layer is the most oxidized section of garnet-bearing subcratonic mantle thus far measured, up to one log unit more oxidizing relative to the FMQ buffer [Δlog fO2 (FMQ) + 1]. The lower, more fertile layer has fO2 conditions that extend down to Δlog fO2 (FMQ) − 3.8, consistent with xenolith suites from other localities worldwide. Based on trace element concentrations in garnets, two distinct metasomatic events affected the mantle lithosphere at Diavik. An oxidized fluid imparted sinusoidal chondrite-normalized REE patterns on garnets throughout the entire depth range sampled. In contrast, a reducing melt metasomatic event affected only the lower portion of the lithospheric mantle. The fO2 state of the Diavik mantle sample suggests that diamond formation occurred by reduction of carbonate by fluids arising from beneath the lithosphere.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank GuangCheng Chen for assistance with the LA-ICPMS analyses and Sergei Matveev for assistance in modifying the flank method and help with EPMA. Funding for this project was jointly provided by Diavik Diamond Mines Inc. and NSERC (CRD grant). S.C. acknowledges the support of NSCEC-PGS. Samples were kindly collected and provided by the geology team at the Diavik mine. Reviews of an earlier version of this manuscript by C. Ballhaus helped improve the present work.

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  1. Steven Creighton

    Present address: Mining and Minerals Division, Saskatchewan Research Council, Saskatoon, Canada

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada

    Steven Creighton, Thomas Stachel & Robert W. Luth

  2. Diavik Diamond Mines Inc., Yellowknife, Canada

    Dave Eichenberg

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  1. Steven Creighton
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  2. Thomas Stachel
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  3. Dave Eichenberg
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  4. Robert W. Luth
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Correspondence to Steven Creighton.

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Communicated by J. Hoefs.

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Creighton, S., Stachel, T., Eichenberg, D. et al. Oxidation state of the lithospheric mantle beneath Diavik diamond mine, central Slave craton, NWT, Canada. Contrib Mineral Petrol 159, 645–657 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00410-009-0446-x

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