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Kimberlites, Supercontinents and Deep Earth Dynamics: Mid-Proterozoic India in Rodinia

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Topics in Igneous Petrology

Abstract

Diamonds and the mineral inclusions in diamonds demonstrate ­unequivocally that the kimberlites and lamproites (kimberlite clan rocks-KCRs) that transport these exotic assemblages to Earth’s surface from subcratonic lithospheres (∼200 km), the transition zone (410–660 km), and the lower mantle (>660 km), must have a thermal source to induce the eruptive process that is deeper than the deepest samples. The diamonds are old (2.8–3.2 Ga) but the KCRs are young. A synchronously global diamond eruptive event occurred in the Mesozoic at ∼100 Ma, with eruptions of huge volumes of basalt in large igneous provinces (LIPS), fragmentation and disruption of Pangaea, superchron behavior of Earth’s geomagnetic field, and superplumes from the D″ core–mantle boundary layer at 2,900 km. There was another significant diamond eruptive episode in the mid-Proterozoic at ∼1.1 Ga in the supercontinent of Rodinia. This event is examined in the context of the Mesozoic paradigm of LIPS, superplumes and superchrons. The conclusion is positive, and is particularly fitting, given the nature of this dedicated volume, and the fact that the largest number (>100) of known diamondiferous KCRs are in India.

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Acknowledgments

Thanks to Gautam Sen for the invitation and opportunity to contribute to this volume; it is, indeed, an honor to acknowledge the contributions and scholarship of Professor Mihir K. Bose. Thanks are also extended to Professor Jyotisankar Ray, two reviewers, and to Trond Torvik for instructive comments. Funding from the NSF over many years, with support from the Fulbright Foundation, the Government of India, and industry, provided unprecedented opportunities to explore the original land of diamonds: Namaste India!

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, FL, 33155, USA

    Stephen E. Haggerty

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  1. Stephen E. Haggerty
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Correspondence to Stephen E. Haggerty .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. Geology, University of Calcutta, Ballygunge Circular Rd. 35, Kolkata, 700019, India

    Jyotisankar Ray

  2. Dept. Earth Sciences, Florida Center for Analytical, Florida International University, Miami, 33199, Florida, USA

    Gautam Sen

  3. , Department of Geology, University of Calcutta, Ballygunge Circular Road, Kolkata, 700019, India

    Biswajit Ghosh

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Haggerty, S.E. (2011). Kimberlites, Supercontinents and Deep Earth Dynamics: Mid-Proterozoic India in Rodinia. In: Ray, J., Sen, G., Ghosh, B. (eds) Topics in Igneous Petrology. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-9600-5_16

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