SINDIA · Sulphide INclusions in DIAmonds: A Window into The Earth’s Interior Through Time
Horizon 2020 — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
- Duration
- 2019-04-01 → 2021-09-29
- EU contribution
- €168,277
- Participants
- 1
- Scheme
- MSCA-IF-EF-ST
Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.
Results in brief
Sulphide INclusions in DIAmonds: A Window into The Earth’s Interior Through Time
Diamonds containing mineral inclusions are unique tools to study the chemical history and evolution of the Earth’s interior. Among mineral inclusions in diamond, sulphides are the most abundant and contain critical evidence regarding the time of formation of diamonds, yet they are the least understood. Sulphides are typically included into diamond as high-temperature monosulfide solid solution (Mss) but re-equilibrate to an assemblage of exsolved phases at low-temperature. This exsolution causes fractionation of major and trace elements within the inclusions and unless the inclusions can be extracted and studied in their entirety, this process limits the ability to extract accurate isotopic information for geochronology. In order to obtain the most accurate, high fidelity chemical and age information from sulphides it is fundamental that the inclusions used for age determinations are well characterized, while in the diamonds, with in-situ techniques. To this end, SINDIA was designed to attain three specific scientific objectives: i) comprehensive description of untreated multi-phase sulphide inclusions in diamonds; ii) reconstruction of the Mss original bulk composition; iii) definition of the true isotopic ratios to retrieve reliable diamond ages. By combining for the first-time a thorough, non-destructive, in-situ characterization of sulphide inclusions in diamonds with homogenization experiments and isotopic analyses, we were able to accurately determine the composition of the sulphides, reconstruct their genetic processes and asses the validity of the mostly used dating system.
Data: CORDIS, © European Union
Project objective
Life-sustaining Earth’s surface is closely related with the evolution of Earth’s interior, that is essentially ruled by mantle behaviour. Diamonds containing mineral inclusions from “long ago” and “far away” are unparalleled tools to investigate the chemical history and evolution of the Earth’s otherwise inaccessible mantle. Among mineral inclusions in diamond, sulphides are the most abundant. These minerals are the best candidate to investigate mantle primary composition, mantle physical-chemical processes at conditions prevailing during diamond formation and genesis – still a highly contentious issue. Sulphide inclusions are the keel tool for dating diamond formation and yet, despite previous research, the nature of these inclusions is not well understood. This is a major drawback as knowledge of the genesis of these mineral phases in diamonds directly relates to the chronological information they contain, and consequently the chemical information they carry. In light of very recent exciting results from an ERC project discovering new sulphide minerals in diamonds, SINDIA aims at combining, for the first-time, a thorough non-destructive in situ characterization of sulphide inclusions in diamonds with homogenization experiments coupled with isotopic analyses to investigate their genesis and the evolution of the Earth’s interior through time. SINDIA’s goals are to shed new light into the composition, origin and age of mantle sulphides, the origin and age of diamonds and in particular to validate the mostly widely used dating system in diamond research. The results of this study will provide international visibility to the researcher and the University of Padova by producing fundamental scientific advances in this new field of research, making the Department of Geosciences a leading institution of international repute, increasing the competitiveness and scientific recognition of the European Research Area.
Original text from CORDIS.
Participants
- UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI PADOVA · PadovaCoordinatorItaly
Links
Data: CORDIS, © European Union