Home > Research > Publications & Outputs > Attrition in the kimberlite system

Links

Text available via DOI:

View graph of relations

Attrition in the kimberlite system

Research output: Contribution to Journal/MagazineJournal articlepeer-review

Published
<mark>Journal publication date</mark>31/12/2018
<mark>Journal</mark>Mineralogy and Petrology
Issue numbersupplement 2
Volume112
Number of pages11
Pages (from-to)491-501
Publication StatusPublished
Early online date18/05/18
<mark>Original language</mark>English

Abstract

The sustained transportation of particles in a suspension commonly results in particle attrition leading to grain size reduction and shape modification. Particle attrition is a well-studied phenomenon that has mainly focussed on sediments produced in aeolian or fluvial environments. Here, we present analogue experiments designed to explore processes of attrition in the kimberlite system; we focus on olivine as it is the most abundant constituent of kimberlite. The attrition experiments on olivine use separate experimental set-ups to approximate two natural environments relevant to kimberlites. Tumbling mill experiments feature a low energy system supporting near continual particle-particle contact and are relevant to re-sedimentation and dispersal processes. Experiments performed in a fluidized particle bed constitute a substantially higher energy environment pertinent to kimberlite ascent and eruption. The run-products of each experiment are analysed for grain size reduction and shape modification and these data are used to elucidate the rates and extents of olivine attrition as a function of time and energy. Lastly, we model the two experimental datasets with an empirical rate equation that describes the production of daughter products (fines) with time. Both datasets approach a fines production limit, or plateau, at long particle residence times; the fluidized system is much more efficient producing a substantially higher fines content and reaches the plateau faster. Our experimental results and models provide a way to forensically examine a wide range of processes relevant to kimberlite on the basis of olivine size and shape properties.