Article written by Nicolas Flament, Ömer F. Bodur, via https://theconversation.com on 08 May 2023
Kimberlite eruptions leave behind a characteristic deep, carrot-shaped “pipe” of kimberlite rock, which often contains diamonds.
Geologists assumed that mantle plumes could be responsible for igniting kimberlite eruptions.
Our modelling shows these pillars supply heat underneath kimberlites, and they explain most kimberlite eruptions over the past 200 million years.
The model successfully captured kimberlite eruptions in Africa, Brazil, Russia and partly in the United States and Canada.
Towards the centre of the pillars, mantle plumes rise much faster and carry dense material across the mantle, which may explain chemical differences between kimberlites in different continents.