Processos de formação de

diamantes
Processos de formação
Métodos de prospeção
Métodos de mineração
 Kimberlitos, lamprofiros diamantiferos
• Diamonde é polimorfo de carbono.

• Outra forma de carbono é grafite

• 3 factors sao requeridos para formar diamante:

1. TEMPO
2. Temperatura muito elevada (1,000 graus centigrados)
3. Alta pressao, 30 kilobars (kb).
A pressao e temperatura em baixo da terra e conhecida como geotherms.

• Rchas associadas a diamantes:

– kimberlite (proposto por Lewis em 1888 para Kimberley na RSA

– eclogite,
– lamproite.
• Diamonte pode ser formado na zona de subduccao e obduccao
 Kimberlitos comuns
• Modo de ocorrencia dos
kimberlites
– forma de carotes,
– Diques e
– soloiras.

• 3 zonas sao conhecidas

– cratera,
– Diatremo e
– Zona da raiz

• tamanhos
– 200 hectares
– 1 a 2 kms, Lamproite
As condutas diamantíferas de kimberlitos e
lamboanitos são os depósitos primaríamos.

Os diamantes saem para superfície por

magma empurrado em velocidade alta para
cima.

Quando atinge a superfície ocorre a erupção

vulcânica, libertando grandes quantidades de
energia, formando a cratera.

O material eruptivo volta a alojar-se ao lado

da cratera, formando uma pilha de rochas
vulcânicas

O material eventualmente e lavado pela chuva

ou volta para cratera ou ainda disperso por
outros fenómenos de alteração.

O kimberlito que permanece nas fracturas da

crusta forma os dique e soleiras.
Maiores produtores mundias de diamantes
 Prospecting for diamond
Metodo Sul Africano
• A pesquisa de diamantes e feita a partir de elementos
acomapanhantes e formados nas mesmas condicoes.

• Metodo traditional – a pesquisa alluvial e um metodo direto

de procura de diamante. A maior desvantagem e que apenas
dispomos de cinco meses para fazer os pocos regionais e
comecar com malha apertada em areas enormes.
 Prospecting for diamond

South-African method.
With this method, which is very much used, we do not search the diamond itself, but heavy materials
which accompany it and which are in greater numbers.

Littoral prospection.
The coastal prospection consists in searching the deposits which are at the edge of the
littoral and on the beaches.
The marine prospection is made by boats equipped with pumps in order to sample the
diamantiferous gravel.

Alluvial prospection in dense environment

We could call this method the « Belgian method ». We search for diamonds directly. It is very much
used in the Congo area, but the access to the deposits is made very difficult because of the dense
forests and the absence of dry season. It is used in Zaire, in Central Africa and in Gabon.

Alluvial prospection
Contrary to the « South-African » method, the traditional alluvial prospection is characterized by the
direct search of diamond in the alluvial gravels. The major disadvantage of this method is that it cannot be
used in dry season, for a maximum of 5 months per year. Indeed, it is necessary to sample the rivers by
digging small wells, which are very spaced at the beginning, then getting closer
Mining
The ground is blue in the volcanic cones. Two modes of mining exist:
the open-cast (or open-pit) and the underground mine.

The open-cast mine

This type of miningn is very much used, especially in
South Africa where
there is the famous Kimberley mine called « Big Hole
». The mining is done by extracting the subsoil from
the pipe using large hydraulic shovels. Hard rock is
drilled and blasted with explosives so the broken
material can be removed. The pipe is dug in tiers from
which the materials to treat is put into trucks.
Mining

Block Caving:
block caving is an inexpensive method of mining in
which large blocks of ore are blasted,

causing the ore to break or cave under its own

weight.
This method is largely depending upon the action
of gravity and
is considerably less expensive than the traditional
method of mining copper porphyry deposits.

Underground mining in tiers:

it is a mixed method which is used at

the Premier Mine in South Africa.
Mining
Marine littoral deposits

For this type of mining powerful equipemnts and explosives are

used to reach the

diamantiferous gravel. The removal of the diamonds from the

beaches requires the removal of a very large quantity of sand
before being able to reach the diamantiferous gravel, and it is
not rare to dig more than 20 meters below the sea level before
reaching the diamantiferous gravels. There are enormous
problems of watertightness. People work day and night. For the
marine mining, the operations are rather delicate and require
specific equipements. De Beers is the leader in this field and has
boats and equipments unequalled, they have concessions in
Angola, Namibia, etc...

Secondary deposits eluvial and alluvial

Eluvial deposit: the ground is yellow and near to the primary

deposit.

Alluvial deposit: this type of deposit is down in river beds over

long distance.