Conclusion
>
>In conclusion, there are several reasons for believing Alberta is
>geologically favourable for the existence of important diamondiferous
>kimberlitic diatremes, including: (1) thick Precambrian continental
>crust is present in both north-central and southern Alberta; (2) a
>complex regional and local structural setting exists in places in both
>the southern and northern parts of the province, which include
>numerous long-lived faults and faulted zones that may have facilitated
>access of kimberlitic magmas from the deep mantle to the surface; (3)
>there are stratigraphically and geochemically anomalous bentonites
>which may be derived from local volcanic or kimberlitic extrusive
>centers; (4) there are several areas within Alberta which have been
>identified by widely spaced sampling to contain anomalous diamond
>indicator grains that in some places include micro or macro diamonds
>that have not, as yet, been traced to a bedrock source; and most
>importantly, (5) there are at least 15 kimberlitic diatremes in north-
>central and northwest Alberta, of which 10 are known to be
>diamondiferous and several are reported to have micro diamond and
>macro diamond counts which are similar to the early phases of
>sampling of the diamondiferous kimberlites which exist at the
>economically important Lac de Gras region, N.W.T. In short, we
>conclude that, at present, ALBERTA IS INADEQUATELY
>EXPLORED FOR DIAMONDIFEROUS DEPOSITS.SELECTED REFERENCES
>
>Dufresne, M.B., Leckie, D.A. and Eccles, D.R., In Press. Study of the
> geochemical and stratigraphic setting of the Shaftesbury
> Formation in northern Alberta and its potential to host ore
> deposits; Geological Survey of Canada Open File Report.
>
>Dufresne, M.B., Eccles, D.R., McKinstry, B., Schmitt, D.R., Fenton,
> M.M., Pawlowicz, J.G. |
