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40Ar/39Ar laser-probe dating of diamond inclusions from the Premier kimberlite

Nature volume 340, pages 460–462 (1989)Cite this article

Abstract

INCLUSIONS encapsulated by diamonds at the time of their formation provide a means for determining diamond crystallization ages and the chemistry of the surrounding upper mantle at that time. Sm–Nd studies of peridotitic inclusions, from Cretaceous-age kimberlites in southern Africa, suggest that the diamonds formed 3.3 Gyr ago1. By contrast, eclogite-suite inclusions generally yield younger ages, sometimes approaching the time of kimberlite erup-tion2–4. Here we report the results of 40Ar/39Ar laser-probe analy-ses of individual eclogitic clinopyroxene inclusions from Premier diamonds, which yield a mean age of 1,198 ±14 Myr. This age agrees well with Sm–Nd (ref. 2) and 40Ar/39Ar (ref. 3) analyses on similar Premier inclusions, and is indistinguishable from the inferred time of emplacement of the host kimberlite (1,150–1,230 Myr)2, which implies that diamond formation was essentially synchronous with kimberlite generation. The extrapolated non-radiogenic 40 Ar/36 Ar ratio of 334 ± 102 is similar to the present-day atmospheric composition. This value is inconsistent with Sr and Nd isotopic signatures from Premier eclogite inclusions2, which suggest a depleted mantle source (40Ar/36Ar > 20,000). Pre-entrap-ment equilibration of the inclusions with an 36Ar-rich fluid is the most probable explanation for the low non-radiogenic (40Ar/36Ar) composition.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geology and Geophysical Sciences, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, 08544, USA

    D. Phillips, T. C. Onstott & J. W. Harris

  2. Department of Geology and Applied Geology, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, UK

    J. W. Harris

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  1. D. Phillips
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  3. J. W. Harris
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Phillips, D., Onstott, T. & Harris, J. 40Ar/39Ar laser-probe dating of diamond inclusions from the Premier kimberlite. Nature 340, 460–462 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1038/340460a0

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