HomeDiamondXenoliths

What is Diamond | Origins | History | Mining & Distribution | Diamond Jewels

Xenoliths

Kimberlite magmas carry foreign rocks -- xenoliths -- from Earth's layer to the surface. Xenoliths are geologists' only samples from the deep Earth, and bring information about diamond growth conditions. The 2 most general types of xenoliths are peridotites and eclogites. Peridotite is the main constituent of the mantle beneath the crust and consists primarily of olivine -- the gem variety is peridot. Eclogite, consisting mainly of garnet and a green pyroxene, is formed by plate tectonics when basalt of the ocean crust founders into the mantle. Those kinds of xenoliths contain diamonds.

<< Back | Next >>



Origin of Carbon

Formation

How
Diamond
Surface


Where
Diamonds
are
found


Indicator
Minerals


Kimberlite &
Lamproite


Kimberlite
Pipes


Age

Xenoliths

Inclusions

Collisions&
star Dust