7 Undergraduate and Graduate Research Part I (Posters)

Monday, 28 March 2011
8:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Pre-Function Area

MINERAL GEOCHEMISTRY OF THE ELLIOT COUNTY KIMBERLITE, KENTUCKY

Paper number: 7-3
Program: Theme Sessions
Time: 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Authors

Abstract

Several kimberlite bodies crop out in Elliot County, a remote and hilly area in eastern Kentucky. The presence of these kimberlites have been known since 1886 and have been prospected for diamonds several times since then, although none have yet been found. The Kimberlite dikes intrude into Pennsylvanian sandstones and have been dated at approximately 257-279 Ma (Early Permian). The Kimberlites include phenocrysts of olvine, garnet, phologpite, calcite, and ilmenite, and are also host to abundant upper crustal xenoliths of limestone. We present whole rock and mineral geochemical analyses of the kimberite and its phenocrysts obtained through electron-probe microanalysis of thin sections, and from bulk analysis following mineral separation via magnetic, heavy liquid, and hand-picking techniques. We also present mineral/melt partition coefficients derived from these analyses.