Zircon as a tracer of mantle processes and kimberlite magmatism

Zircon, the oldest mineral found on Earth, provides a unique record of geological processes through time. Its extreme chemical and mechanical stability helps preserving these records upon the mineral transfer to the Earth’s surface and weathering. Zircon is a ubiquitous accessory mineral in silica-rich continental rocks, which has long been used as a tracer of processes in the continental crust. However, a growing number of findings of zircon in (ultra)-mafic rocks provides strong evidence for stability of zircon in mantle settings. Kimberlites, the deepest mantle magmas, and the hosts of diamond deposits, also contain zircon, however its origin is poorly understood. The proposed experimental study will test if formation of zircon is not limited to silicic crustal systems but can happen in the mantle. The project aims to constrain the origin, conditions, and compositions of mantle melts/fluids parental to zircon, and, using the concentrations of trace elements in zircon, deduce the composition of kimberlite melt. Joining expertise in kimberlite research of Canadian team with zircon studies of French team will help addressing important questions of subcontinental mantle evolution, origin of enigmatic kimberlite magmas, and processes of metasomatic enrichments of continental roots in rare trace elements critical for modern technologies.

Faculty Supervisor:

Yana Fedortchouk

Student:

Partner:

Université Paul Sabatier

Discipline:

Earth science

Sector:

Education

University:

Dalhousie University

Program: