Mineralogy and equilibrium P-T estimates for peridotite assemblages from the V. Grib Kimberlite Pipe (Arkhangelsk Kimberlite Province)

This study presents mineralogical and thermobarometric data for equilibrium peridotite assemblages from the V. Grib kimberlite pipe of the Arkhangelsk diamond province. We provided the first constraints on the composition, structure, thermal state, and lower boundary of the lithospheric mantle beneath the V. Grib kimberlite pipe. It was found that phlogopite-free and phlogopite-bearing peridotite xenoliths can be distinguished by their mineral chemistry. The occurrence of phlogopite in peridotites may represent evidence for modal metasomatism responsible for variation in the mineral composition of phlogopite-pyrope and pyrope peridotites. On the basis of P-T estimates, we conclude that modal metasomatism may have affected the entire thickness of the lithospheric mantle beneath the V. Grib kimberlite pipe. Comparison of our results with the available data from the literature shows strong vertical and lateral mantle heterogeneity beneath kimberlite pipes of the Lomonosov deposit and the V. Grib pipe.