Majhgawan Diamondiferous Pipe, Madhya Pradesh, India - A Review

The alkaline ultrabasic diatreme at Majhgawan has an idealised geological setting being intruded into the platformal Kaimur sandstones of the Lower Vindhyan Supergroup (1400-1100 Ma) overlying cratonic Bundelkhand granite basement (2550 Ma) which is a typical archon as per Janse (1992). Recent Rb/Sr age data indicate 1042 Ma (Smith 1992) and 1067 Ma (Anil Kurnar and Gopalan 1992) for the Majhgawan pipe. The pipe with surface dimension of 500 × 320 m is a carrot shaped body reminiscent of a typical kimberlite with minimal erosion. The pipe rock has been classified as lamproite by Scott Smith (1989, 1992a) who has termed it as olivine lamproitic lapilli tuff of crater facies. High TiO₂(4-6%), less abundance of typical heavy indicator minerals (HIM) like group-10 pyrope garnet and ilmenite and overall petrological characters of the pipe strongly reflect lamproite nature. High amounts of certain minor elements such as Ba (3000 ppm), Sr (1000 ppm) and REE (high La, U/Th ratio) also indicate its lamproitic character.

On the other hand the typical carrot shape of the plug, almost concentric distribution of diamonds, mode of presence of mantle-derived xenocrysts, overall chemistry with high MgO(25%) low K₂O(1%) and fair amounts of Cr and Ni are highly characteristic of kimberlitic nature. Broad petrographic characters coupled with abundance of xenocrysts and occurrence of country rock xenoliths and geochemical charecteristics suggest it is in several aspects typical kirmberlite rather than lamproite. The garnet population with fair amount of harzburgitic pyrope and larger share of lherzolitic variety indicate characteristics almost intermediate between kimberlite and lamproite.

Irrespective of the nature of the diatreme in any exploration model for search of new primary sources in the area, the spesific nature of HIM of the Majhgawan rock has to be kept in view (i.e.rather less abundance of garnet that too more of group-9 type, predominance of high magnesia spinellchromite, absence of ilmenite etc). The Majhgawan diamonds (42% gem) are predominantly curve faced modified forms indicating signs of resorption.