A new geological environment for rodingite formation: Metasomatism in kimberlite volcanoes

Rodingite is a calc-silicate rock containing garnet, diopside, and chlorite that develop via metasomatic replacement of ultramafic to felsic rocks. Rodingites are found in ophiolites subjected to low-grade metamorphism or hydrothermal serpentinization of the surrounding ultramafic rocks. Here we report a previously unrecognized volcanic environment for rodingite formation. Rodingites can result from skarn-like reactions between kimberlite and xenoliths of silicate country rocks.We studied hypabyssal and pyroclastic kimberlites from Renard and Gahcho Kue clusters (Canada) and Orapa (RSA). The kimberlites entrain 20-90 vol.% of granitoid and gneiss (Renard 65, Gahcho Kue) and basalt (Orapa) xenoliths collectively called silicate country rocks. Skarn-like reactions triggered by gradients in the chemical potentials of Si, Al, Ca, and Mg across the xenolith–kimberlite contacts produce concentric reaction zones within the xenoliths and a reaction halo in the surrounding contaminated kimberlite. The original mineralogy of the unreacted xenoliths is replaced by prehnite, diopside, pectolite, wollastonite, serpentine, garnet, calcic hydrosilicates (hydrogarnet, xonotlite, amphiboles). In the kimberlite halo, diopside and phlogopite form, carbonate is leached out, olivine is completely serpentinized. Rodingites develop by moderate degrees of reaction, and are replaced with monomineral serpentine and chlorite if metasomatism advances further.Petrographic evidence for post-emplacement, metasomatic development of rodingite assemblages in kimberlite matches the Perple_X phase equilibria calculations that model the formation of the reactive mineralogy in the subsolidus, at T