Lamproite

Key takeaways

Lamproite belongs to earth science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Lamproite to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Lamproite from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Lamproite is an ultrapotassic mantle-derived volcanic or subvolcanic rock. It has low CaO, Al2O3, Na2O, high K2O/Al2O3, a relatively high MgO content and extreme enrichment in incompatible elements. Lamproites are geographically widespread yet are volumetrically insignificant. Unlike kimberlites, which are found exclusively in Archaean cratons, lamproites are found in terranes of varying age, ranging from Archaean in Western Australia, to Palaeozoic and Mesozoic in southern Spain. They also vary widely in age, from Proterozoic to Pleistocene, the youngest known example from Gaussberg in Antarctica being 56,000 ± 5,000 years old. Lamproite volcanology is varied, with both diatreme styles and cinder cone or cone edifices known.

Petrology Lamproites form from partially melted mantle at depths exceeding 150 km. The molten material is forced to the surface in volcanic pipes, bringing with it xenoliths and diamonds from the harzburgitic peridotite or eclogite mantle regions where diamond formation is stabilized. Recent research, for example on the lamproites at Gaussberg in Antarctica, and lead-lead isotope geochemistry have revealed that the source of lamproites may be transition zone melts of subducted lithosphere which has become trapped at the base of the lithospheric mantle. This observation also reconciles the depth of melting with the peculiar geochemistry, which is most easily explained by melting of already felsic material under deep mantle conditions.

Mineralogy The mineralogy of lamproites is controlled by their peculiar geochemistry, with a predominance of rare silica-deficient mineral species and rare, mantle-derived minerals predominating. Minerals typical of lamproites include: forsteritic olivine; high iron leucite; titanium-rich aluminium-poor phlogopite; potassium- and titanium-rich richterite; low aluminium diopside; and iron-rich sanidine. A variety of rare trace minerals occur. The rocks are high in potassium with 6 to 8% potassium oxide. High chromium and nickel content is typical. The rocks commonly are altered to talc with carbonate or serpentine, chlorite, and magnetite. Zeolites and quartz may also occur. Lamproites are characterized by the presence of widely varying amounts (5-90 vol.%) of the following primary phases (Mitchell & Bergman, 1991):

titanian (2-10 wt.% TiO2), aluminium-poor (5-12 wt.% Al2O3) phenocrystic phlogopite; titanian (5-10 wt.% TiO2) groundmass poikilitic "tetraferriphlogopite"; titanian (3-5 wt.% TiO2), potassium (4-6 wt.% K2O) richterite; forsteritic (Mg) olivine; aluminium-poor (<1 wt.% Al2O3), sodium-poor (<1 wt.% Na2O) diopside; nonstoichiometric iron-rich (1-4 wt.% Fe2O3) leucite, and; iron-rich sanidine (typically 1-5 wt.% Fe2O3). The presence of all the above phases is not required in order to classify a rock as a lamproite. Any one mineral may be dominant, and this, together with the two or three other major minerals present, suffices to determine the petrographic name. The presence of the following minerals precludes a rock from being classified as a lamproite: primary plagioclase, melilite, monticellite, kalsilite, nepheline, Na-rich alkali feldspar, sodalite, nosean, hauyne, melanite, schorlomite or kimzeyite.

Geochemistry Lamproites conform to the following chemical characteristics:

molar K2O/Na2O > 3, i.e., ultrapotassic; molar K2O/Al2O3 > 0.8 and commonly > 1; molar (K2O + Na2O)/Al2O3 typically > 1, i.e., peralkaline; typically < 10 wt.% each of FeO and CaO, TiO2 1-7 wt.%, > 2000 and commonly > 5000 ppm Ba, > 500 ppm Zr, > 1000 ppm Sr, and > 200 ppm La.

Economic importance The economic significance of lamproite became known with the discovery of Ellendale E4 and E9 lamproite pipes and better known 1979 discovery of the Argyle diamond pipe in Western Australia. This discovery led to the intense study and re-evaluation of other known lamproite occurrences worldwide; previously only kimberlite pipes were considered economically viable sources of diamonds. The Argyle diamond mine remains the only economically viable source of lamproite diamonds. This deposit differs markedly by having a high content of diamonds but low quality of most stones. Research at Argyle diamond have shown that most stones are of E-type; they originate from eclogite source rocks and were formed under high temperature ~1,400 °C (2,600 °F). The Argyle diamond mine is the main source of rare pink diamonds. Olivine lamproite pyroclastic rocks and dikes are sometimes hosts for diamonds. The diamonds occur as xenocrysts that have been carried to the surface or to shallow depths by the lamproite diapiric intrusions. The diamonds of Crater of Diamonds State Park near Murfreesboro, Arkansas are found in a lamproite host.

Nomenclature Lamproites, as a group, were known by a variety of localised names because their mineralogy is quite variable, and because of their rarity often few examples of the following lamproite variants were known. Modern terminology classes all as lamproites but modifies this term with the mineral abundances as per the standard IUGS rules.

Related rock types Kimberlite – Igneous rock which sometimes contains diamonds Lamprophyre – Type of ultrapotassic igneous rock Ultrapotassic igneous rocks – Class of rare ultramafic or mafic igneous rocks rich in potassium

References

Further reading Bergman, Steven C. (1987). "Lamproites and other potassium-rich igneous rocks: A review of their occurrence, mineralogy and geochemistry. In: Alkaline Igneous rocks, Fitton, J.G. and Upton, B.G.J. (Eds.)". Geological Society of London, Special Publications. 30 (1): 103–190. doi:10.1144/GSL.SP.1987.030.01.08. ISSN 0305-8719. Murphy, D. T.; Collerson, K. D.; Kamber, B. S. (2002). "Lamproites from Gaussberg, Antarctica: Possible transition zone melts of Archaean subducted sediments". Journal of Petrology. 43 (6): 981–1001. Bibcode:2002JPet...43..981M. doi:10.1093/petrology/43.6.981. Woolley, A.R.; Bergman, S.C.; Edgar, A.D.; Le Bas, M.J.; Mitchell, R.H.; Rock, N.M.S.; Scott Smith, B.H. (1996). "Classification of lamprophyres, lamproites, kimberlites, and the kalsilitic, melilitic, and leucitic rocks". The Canadian Mineralogist. 34 (2): 175–186. Müller, Daniel; Groves, David I. (2019). Potassic igneous rocks and associated gold-copper mineralization (5th ed.). Mineral Resource Reviews. Springer Verlag, Cham. p. 398. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-92979-8. ISBN 978-3-319-92978-1.

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Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Lamproite

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Lamproite claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In earth science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Lamproite before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Lamproite ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Lamproite

In research: Lamproite appears in earth science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Lamproite in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Lamproite is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Economic geology, Igneous petrology, Subvolcanic rocks, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Lamproite outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

How to study Lamproite in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Lamproite means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Lamproite out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Lamproite in simple terms?

Lamproite is an ultrapotassic mantle-derived volcanic or subvolcanic rock. It has low CaO, Al2O3, Na2O, high K2O/Al2O3, a relatively high MgO content and extreme enrichment in incompatible elements.

Why does Lamproite matter?

Because it connects several earth science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Lamproite?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Lamproite.