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The Liqhobong kimberlite cluster: an update on the geology
Authors:Rapopo  Mafusi  Sobie  Paul
Institution:1.Liqhobong Mining Development Company, 5th Floor, Pension House, Constitutional Rd, Maseru West, Lesotho
;2.MPH Consulting Limited, 133 Richmond Street West, Suite 501, Toronto, ON, M5H 2L3, Canada
;3.Firestone Diamonds plc, The Triangle, 5 -17 Hammersmith Grove, London, W6 0LG, UK
;
Abstract:

The Cretaceous Liqhobong kimberlite cluster comprises six known diamondiferous Group 1 kimberlite bodies: the Main Pipe (8.5 ha), the Satellite Pipe (1.6 ha), the Discovery Blow (0.15 ha), the Blow (0.1 ha), the Main Dyke, and the East Dyke. Emplaced along a strike length of about 2.5 km, the kimberlites intruded Jurassic Drakensberg lavas and outcrop at altitude ranging from 2970 to 2670 m above sea level (masl) in the rugged Maluti Mountain terrain of Lesotho. The cluster’s intrusion was structurally controlled and emplacement occurred in at least three pulses. The dykes and the two blows (which are dyke enlargements emplaced ~900 m apart) comprise the earliest event and the Main and Satellite Pipes were emplaced during two separate, subsequent events. Each pipe has steep contacts with the country rock basalt. The two Blows have inward dipping contacts and narrow considerably at depth. Each of the Main and Satellite Pipes comprises multiple phases which range from largely volcaniclastic to marginally coherent kimberlites. The volume of the volcaniclastic kimberlite is always much more (>three times) than that of the coherent kimberlite. The larger Main and Satellite Pipes are diluted by country rock up to 40 vol% whereas the smaller Blows and Dykes typically have less than 10 vol% dilution. The degree of mantle sampling is highest (up to 40 vol%) in the smaller Blows and lower (~25 vol%) in the larger Pipes.

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