Geology, Structure, and Radiometric Age Determination of the Murowa Kimberlites, Zimbabwe

Abstract

Abstract The Murowa kimberlite field includes three diamondiferous kimberlite pipes (K1, K2, and K3) and multiple kimberlite dikes that have been emplaced into the Archean Chibi granite batholith north of the Limpopo belt in south-central Zimbabwe. Here we summarize the key aspects of the geology of the Murowa kimberlites from previous studies and integrate these findings with new structural data to interpret a structural model governing the locations, relative positions, and orientations of emplaced kimberlite. Key observations of drill core, thin section petrography, geochemistry, and mapping of exposed rocks at the Murowa diamond mine are summarized from previous work, and ..