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Diamonds from Dachine, French Guiana : a unique record of Early Proterozoic subduction

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Date
15/11/2016
Author
Smith, Chris B.
Walter, Michael J.
Bulanova, Galina P.
Mikhail, Sami
Burnham, Antony D.
Gobbo, Luiz
Kohn, Simon C.
Keywords
Dachine
Diamond
Inclusions
Subduction
Isotopes
GE Environmental Sciences
NDAS
Metadata
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Abstract
Diamonds from Dachine, French Guiana, are unique among worldwide diamond populations. The diamonds were transported to the surface in an unusual ultramafic extrusive magma with an affinity to boninite or komatiite, which was emplaced within an arc geological setting at ~ 2.2 Ga. Dachine diamonds have internal and external morphologies indicative of relatively rapid growth from carbon oversaturated fluids or melts, and exhibit internal features consistent with residence in a high-strain environment. On the basis of nitrogen (N) defects the diamonds are categorized as Type Ib-IaA. The unusually low aggregation state of N places severe constraints on the thermal history of the diamonds, effectively ruling out derivation in convecting mantle. The carbon and N isotopic compositions of Dachine diamonds are consistent with a sedimentary source of carbon, with the majority of diamonds having δ13C values < − 25‰ and δ15N values > + 4‰. The primary carbon was presumably deposited on an early Proterozoic seafloor. Sulphide inclusions have low Ni and Cr and are comparable to lithospheric eclogitic-type sulphide inclusions. Three garnet and one clinopyroxene inclusion are also eclogitic in composition, and one garnet inclusion has a majorite component indicating an origin around 250 km depth. The silicate inclusions are highly depleted in many incompatible trace elements (e.g. LREE, Nb, Hf, Zr), and modelling indicates an eclogitic source lithology that contained a LREE-enriched trace phase such as epidote or allanite, and an HFSE-rich phase such as rutile. Four of the five inclusions are unusually enriched in Mn, as well as Ni and Co, and modelling indicates a protolith with the bulk composition of subducted normal MORB plus about 10% ferromanganese crust component. We suggest a model wherein Dachine diamonds precipitated from remobilized sedimentary carbon at the slab-mantle interface from liquids derived ultimately by deserpentinization of slab peridotite at depths of ~ 200 to 250 km. These fluids may also trigger melting in wedge peridotite, resulting in a volatile-rich ultramafic melt that transports the diamonds rapidly to the surface. The process of diamond formation and exhumation from the slab mantle interface likely occurred in a Paleoproterozoic subduction zone and over a very limited timespan, likely less than a million years.
Citation
Smith , C B , Walter , M J , Bulanova , G P , Mikhail , S , Burnham , A D , Gobbo , L & Kohn , S C 2016 , ' Diamonds from Dachine, French Guiana : a unique record of Early Proterozoic subduction ' , Lithos , vol. 265 , pp. 82-95 . https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lithos.2016.09.026
Publication
Lithos
Status
Peer reviewed
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lithos.2016.09.026
ISSN
0024-4937
Type
Journal article
Rights
© 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. This work has been made available online in accordance with the publisher’s policies. This is the author created, accepted version manuscript following peer review and may differ slightly from the final published version. The final published version of this work is available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lithos.2016.09.026
Description
This research was supported by NERC grant NE/J008583/1 to MJW and SCK.
Collections
  • University of St Andrews Research
URI
http://hdl.handle.net/10023/11771

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