Tuffisitic Kimberlite (TK): A Canadian perspective on a distinctive textural variety of kimberlite

A number of the kimberlites discovered in Canada over the last two decades display geological features similar to those described from the Kimberley area of South Africa. The general geology of pipes infilled with TK from Canadian occurrences is summarized in this contribution. It is also presented as a schematic diagram which can be used as a guide for kimberlite evaluation as well as for emplacement models for Class 1 kimberlites. The geology represented in this generalized model summarises observations and interpretations of drill cores, thin sections, diamond distribution data, geophysics and a variety of other data sets from five different kimberlite clusters across Canada. All the pipes investigated have undergone evaluation work in order to determine their economic potential.