Rock Hosting Diamonds Discovered Under Antarctic Ice

Kimberlite, a volcanic rock known to host diamonds has been discovered under Antarctic ice by University of Tasmania researchers.

Though mining is banned in Antarctica and no diamonds have been found in the region, researchers of this new study speculate the presence of rich minerals in the vast, icy continent, according to a press release.

"Kimberlites are of great scientific and commercial importance, as the most deeply derived, direct samples of the Earth's deep interior, and as the major hosts of diamond (sometimes in economic abundances)," explained chief investigator Dr Greg Yaxley, a UTAS alumnus now at the Australian National University. "However, until now, they have been completely unknown from Antarctica presumably reflecting the extensive ice cover, remoteness and harsh climatic conditions for geological mapping."

The eruptions of kimberlites were discovered in the northern Prince Charles Mountains of Antarctica. After dating some samples of the rock collected from the region, researchers confirmed that they belonged to about a "120 million-year-old episode of kimberlite volcanism that occurred over a vast area."

Of course! The discovery of a potential source of diamonds is always significantly important but there are other reasons that make this new discovery scientifically vital. The volcanic rocks were at the margin of a major Antarctic transcontinental rift. This region, known as the Lambert Graben, was reactivated during separation of the Indian and Australia-Antarctica plates during the Cretaceous period.

"The kimberlites are a direct magmatic expression of this reactivation and therefore a direct manifestation of continental-scale tectonic processes," Dr Yaxley said.

The new discovery doesn't imply that Antarctica will soon experience a diamond rush. Most geologists think the find won't hold much commercial value.

"The fact they are reporting Group One kimberlites is an important one as diamonds are more likely to be found in this style of kimberlite eruption," said Dr Teal Riley, a survey geologist with the British Antarctic Survey, according to BBC News.  "However even amongst the Group One kimberlites, only 10% or so are economically viable, so it's still a big step to extrapolate this latest finding to any diamond mining activity in Antarctica."

Not only is the region unbearably cold, it has also been preserved for scientific research and wildlife from penguins to seals. Additionally, the 1991 environmental accord bans mining for at least 50 years.

The Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty has 50 signatories and is backed by some very powerful countries like China and the United States of America. The ban is in force till 2041, though many parties are expecting it to be extended. However, the future remains uncertain as gold, platinum, copper, iron and coal have also been found in Antarctica. It is only a matter of time that miners will start venturing into this region. The cold that supposedly is a hurdle may not be very effective in keeping them at bay. Diamonds are already mined today in some of the world's colder regions of northern Canada and Siberia.

"We do not know what the Treaty parties' views will be on mining after 2041 or what technologies might exist that could make extraction of Antarctic minerals economically viable," said Kevin Hughes, of the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research in a Reuters report.

Findings of the new study were published in the online journal Nature.