Kimberlite and related rocks from the Nama Plateau of South-West Africa

A. J A Janse*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

20 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The Gibeon Kimberlite province contains at least forty-six pipes and sixteen major dykes of mainly basaltic kimberlite besides several occurrences of a more carbonatitic character which include the Gross Brukkaros carbonatite volcano, the Blue Hills monticellite peridotite, the Hatzium dome and the Mukorob dyke. The paper describes briefly the regional geology of the Nama Plateau, the location and outcrop characteristics and petrology of the kimberlites and related rocks and a method of their detection by alluvial prospecting. The writer suggests that all these rocks are related and form part of the same petrological province. Various analytical data allow the construction of a diagram which shows a smoothly curved direct petrogenetic relationship between the kimberlites and the carbonatitic rocks of the Gibeon province. The evolution of kimberlite provinces is thought to be controlled by their tectonic environment with kimberlites ascending rapidly in zones with convex curvature of the crust while carbonatitic rocks result from an interrupted or slow ascent in zones of concave curvature.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)81-94
Number of pages14
JournalPhysics and Chemistry of the Earth
Volume9
Issue numberC
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1975
Externally publishedYes

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