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Continental mantle signature of Bushveld magmas and coeval diamonds

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  • Stephen H. Richardson

    (University of Cape Town)

  • Steven B. Shirey

    (Carnegie Institution of Washington, 5241 Broad Branch Road NW, Washington DC 20015, USA)

Abstract

The Bushveld complex: Diamonds point to mantle origin Over two billion years ago, the Bushveld Complex, the world's largest layered intrusion and platinum group element repository, was emplaced within the Kaapvaal craton of southern Africa, one of Earth's earliest surviving continental nuclei. The radiogenic Sr and Os isotope signatures of Bushveld ores are generally attributed to contamination by the continental crust, however the scale of the intrusion and its lateral homogeneity have been at odds with such a model. Steven Richardson and Stephen Shirey now show that sulphide inclusions in approximately 2-billion-year-old diamonds from opposite sides of the complex have initial Os isotope ratios even more radiogenic than those of Bushveld sulphide ore minerals. Sulphide Re-Os and silicate Sm-Nd and Rb-Sr isotope compositions indicate that components of the continental mantle most likely contributed to the genesis of both the diamonds and the Bushveld Complex. Coeval diamonds provide key evidence that the main source of Bushveld platinum group elements is the mantle rather than the crust.

Suggested Citation

  • Stephen H. Richardson & Steven B. Shirey, 2008. "Continental mantle signature of Bushveld magmas and coeval diamonds," Nature, Nature, vol. 453(7197), pages 910-913, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:453:y:2008:i:7197:d:10.1038_nature07073
    DOI: 10.1038/nature07073
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