Geochemistry in Diamond exploratiom

Although diamond exploration usually relies
on a combination of methods, geochemical
techniques (in the broad sense) have been
very successful in detecting diamondiferous
pipes. A number of distinctive, dense minerals
 are associated with
kimberlites and lamproites and it is these
minerals that have been used to indicate the
locations of pipes, hence their name indicator
(or, in translation from Russian, satellite) minerals.
The chemistry of some of these minerals
also indicates their sources and transport history
and, by comparison with known deposits,
can be used to predict whether the source is
diamondiferous as well as some indication of
grade.
The indicator minerals used since the late
nineteenth century and
garnet (both pyrope and eclogitic), chrome diopside,
chromite, and picro (Mg-rich) ilmenite
(Gurney & Zweistra 1995, Muggeridge 1995).

Typical indicator
minerals. Minerals from top left,
clockwise: picro-ilmenites,
ecologitic garnets (G3), chrome
pyrope garnets (G9/G10),
chromites, chrome diopsides,
chrome Fe-titanium pyrope
garnets (G1/G2), olivines. (With
permission from SRC Vancouver.)