The Age and Localization of Kimberlite Magmatism in the Yakutian Kimberlite Province: Constraints from Isotope Geochronology—An Overview

Abstract

Over the last 50 years of geologic prospecting on the territory of Yakutia, some 1,070 kimberlite bodies have been discovered, which are united into the Yakutian kimberlite province (YKP). Hundreds of scientific papers on the mineral content of diamondiferous kimberlites, their tectonic setting, composition of the mantle substrate, physical properties of diamonds, and chemical composition of their mineral inclusions have been published over this period. However, little attention was given to the analysis of isotope data available for kimberlites. The authors made a comparative analysis of over 900 isotope age determinations of kimberlites from 24 fields. During this period, the age of 350 kimberlite bodies was determined, and it makes about 33 % of all known kimberlite bodies in YKP. Statistical analysis of maximum correlations of the age values, obtained by different isotopic methods, allowed the recognition of 7 epochs of kimberlite magmatism in YKP. The article examines the relationship between the time of kimberlite magmatism manifestation (including diamond-bearing kimberlites) and age and composition of Precambrian basement terranes, as well as its relationship with formation of the Late Precambrian and Phanerozoic tectonic structures of the Siberian platform.