The physical and geochemical characteristics of diamonds from the Artemisia Kimberlite (Northern Slave Craton, Nunavut, Canada) and the micro-/macro-diamond relationship

• Author / Creator

  Johnson, Catherine N.

• This thesis presents the results of a study on diamonds from the Artemisia kimberlite, Nunavut, Canada. This study integrates the isotopic, chemical and physical characteristics of the diamonds in an attempt to provide insight into the nature of the micro-/macro-diamond genetic relationship, and its possible implication pertaining to the use of size frequency distributions in modern kimberlite exploration programs.
  
  Despite geochemical commonalities of the Artemisia micro- and macro-diamonds, distinct signatures are observed, particularly in regards to enriched and depleted carbon isotopic compositions, the abundance of nitrogen and hydrogen impurities and different resorption histories. This implies that, despite an observed lognormal size frequency distribution for Artemisia diamonds, micro- and macro-diamonds do not represent a single population at this locality.

• Subjects / Keywords

  • Micro- and macro-diamonds
  • Size frequency distributions
  • Carbon stable isotopes
  • Slave Craton
  • Diamond

• Graduation date

  Fall 2011

• Type of Item

  Thesis

• Degree

  Master of Science

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/R3HS9V

• License

  This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Libraries with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.