Using deep-probing EM studies as an aid to area selection of diamond provinces

Over the last decade significant exploration for diamonds has expanded beyond the traditional Kaapvaal and Siberian Cratons. However, the globe is a large place, and area selection is clearly key to efficient and effective exploration. Whilst diamond companies traditionally use mainly geochemical methods for area selection, the recent results from deep probing electromagnetic (EM) studies on the Slave craton and western Superior Province indicate that such studies can aid area selection considerably. EM surveys can define the base of the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary, they can contribute to knowledge about a region's tectonic history, and they can identify whether a region is likely to contain high concentrations of carbon in its sub-continental lithospheric mantle.