Prospects for discovering kimberlites in the Charo-Sinsk dike swarm territory based on the geochemical features of basites

The search for kimberlites in covered territories remains highly relevant today, as there are no longer any easily accessible kimberlite objects within the Yakut diamond-bearing province that are exposed at the surface and clearly visible in geophysical fields. Therefore, planning search operations for diamond-bearing kimberlites requires a novel, integrative approach that combines geological, mineralogical, structural, and other criteria. We found that in the dolerites of the Vilyui-Markhinsky belt—located near kimberlites in the Nakynskoye, Malo-Botuobinskoye, and Syuldyukarskoye kimberlite fields—the content of titanium oxide and several high field strength and rare earth elements (Th, Ta, Hf, Nd, Tb, Gd) is approximately twice as high compared to their typical content in dolerites of the kimberlite fields overall. We propose using this feature of the above-mentioned elements as one of the criteria for kimberlite searching. Considering the presence of dolerites with unusually high concentrations of titanium oxide and several high field strengths (Th, Hf, Ta, Zr, Y) and rare earth (Nd, Tb, Gd) elements within the Charo-Sinsk dike swarm, a comparative study of dolerites from dikes near these bodies was conducted. A gradual decrease in the concentration of these reference elements was observed with increasing distance from the dike exhibiting the maximum element content. We suggest considering such areas as promising targets for kimberlite discovery. Specifically, areas within the CharoLensky interfluve and the right bank of the Lena River opposite the village of Sinsk are classified as prospective. The results obtained in this study and the identified target areas are recommended to geological and mining companies for conducting focused exploration of kimberlites in these specific local areas.

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