Diamonds in Western Australia

Apart from the diamonds discovered in the east Pilbara region, fleeting glimpses of diamond potential came from the world of academia, where, during the 1930s and '40s, Rex Prider, of the University of Western Australia, was working on an unusual suite of volcanic rocks from the northern edge o...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inRocks & minerals Vol. 82; no. 1; pp. 66 - 73
Main Authors Downes, Peter J., Bevan, Alex W. R.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Washington Heldref 01.01.2007
Taylor & Francis Inc
Subjects
Color
Diamonds
Geology
Oil exploration
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:Apart from the diamonds discovered in the east Pilbara region, fleeting glimpses of diamond potential came from the world of academia, where, during the 1930s and '40s, Rex Prider, of the University of Western Australia, was working on an unusual suite of volcanic rocks from the northern edge of the Canning Basin, adjacent to the Kimberley region. The Kimberley has provided the first example of a major diamond deposit, Argyle, hosted by a rock type (lamproite) other than kimberlite; the Argyle diamonds themselves have a unique history of growth and deformation in the mantle that has produced the wide range of colors and hues that they display.
ISSN:0035-7529
1940-1191
DOI:10.3200/RMIN.82.1.66-73