Mineral inclusions in diamonds from Sloan, USA and Juina, Brazil

During crystallisation, a small proportion of diamonds (no more than 2%), captures tiny inclusions of other minerals. These mineral
inclusions sometimes derive from great depths and are our only window into the Earth’s transition zone (410-660 km) and the lower mantle
(660-2900 km), regions of our planet, impossible to sample directly. We have 20 diamonds from Sloan kimberlite, USA and 10 diamonds from Juina, Brazil, to study for rare transition zone and lower mantle inclusions in diamonds. In this proposal, we will combine phase contrast tomography (PCT), single-crystal diffraction, scanning 3DXRD and X-ray
fluorescence to pin-point different inclusions and identify their crystal structures, morphologies, compositions and possible
paragenesis (characteristic co-existence of different minerals). As a result, we plan to determine the types of minerals that crystallise deep in the Earth's mantle and their associations at various depths of formation.