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Pb, Sr and Nd isotopic evidence for sources of southern African Cretaceous kimberlites

Nature volume 304, pages 51–54 (1983)Cite this article

Abstract

Previously reported initial 87Sr/86Sr and 143Nd/144Nd ratios of non-micaceous southern African Cretaceous kimberlites indicate that their mantle source rocks are undifferentiated to slightly depleted relative to the bulk Earth1–6. Anomalously radiogenic Pb isotopic ratios of these kimberlites, on the other hand, are smilar to those of oceanic island basalts and indicate that the source regions have had high U/Pb ratios7. Some micaceous kimberlites have a different Sr and Pb isotopic character, reflecting different source regions characterized by higher Rb/Sr, but lower U/Pb ratios1,2,7. Nd isotopic analyses have not been reported for the micaceous kimberlites. I present here new whole-rock Pb, Sr and Nd isotopic analyses of examples of both types of kimberlite which, in conjunction with previously published data, confirm the existence of both depleted and enriched upper mantle sources for southern African Cretaceous kimberlites.

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  1. Bernard Price Institute of Geophysical Research, University of the Witwatersrand, 1 Jan Smuts Avenue, Johannesburg, 2001, South Africa

    Craig B. Smith

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Smith, C. Pb, Sr and Nd isotopic evidence for sources of southern African Cretaceous kimberlites. Nature 304, 51–54 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1038/304051a0

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