Geochemistry of forty-one eclogitic and pyroxenitic mantle xenoliths from the Central Slave Craton, Canada (Ekati Diamond Mine)

Abstract

This article describes a novel dataset on non-diamondiferous eclogite and garnet pyroxenite xenoliths from four kimberlite pipes of the Ekati Diamond Mine (Central Slave Craton, Canada). Xenoliths brought to the surface by kimberlite eruptions are direct sources of information on the composition and evolution of the Earth's mantle. Eclogite and garnet pyroxenite xenoliths, specifically, are testimony of subduction into, and metasomatism of, the mantle beneath cratons. Furthermore, these rocks are major hosts for diamond and thus an important part of the deep carbon cycle. The sample suite consists of 41 small xenoliths (2–5 cm) recovered from drill cores. The dataset includes major and trace element concentrations for garnet, clinopyroxene and ilmenite, as well as stable oxygen isotope compositions of garnets. Strontium and neodymium isotopic compositions are reported for garnet and clinopyroxene for four samples which were large enough to allow for analysis. Overall, this dataset significantly expands and complements existing datasets on diamondiferous and non-diamondiferous xenoliths from the Slave Craton in Canada, furthering our understanding of the composition of the Slave subcratonic lithosphere. The dataset includes several samples with rare mineral assemblages, including an olivine-bearing eclogite as well as ilmenite and apatite-bearing garnet-pyroxenites, and thus provides data shedding light on rarely reported compositional nuances in xenolith suites found in kimberlites.