Diamond exploration: Why, where and how

The enduring success of the diamond business has secured sufficient economic reward to justify the financial and other risks involved in exploring for diamonds. Diamond bearing kimberlites and lamproites are distributed worldwide and intrinsically associated to old and stable craton areas and mantle reservoirs situated at both lithospheric and asthenospheric levels. The approach of panning in river gravels for diamonds has evolved to mineral search techniques using minerals as pathfinders to evaluate exploration targets. The most cost-effective geophysical reconnaissance technique is airborne magnetics, with airborne electromagnetics having been found to be useful in the detection of weathered or crater facies kimberlites.