See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.

net/publication/252493716

Kimberlite exploration at Serra da Canastra Province, Brazil

Article  in  Geophysics · May 2007

DOI: 10.1190/1.2710352

CITATIONS READS
18 315

2 authors:

Paulo T. L. Menezes Daniel Isac García Mauricio

Rio de Janeiro State University and Petrobras Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina
113 PUBLICATIONS   361 CITATIONS    4 PUBLICATIONS   23 CITATIONS   

SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE

Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects:

Latex Template 15th CISBGF 2017 View project

Bacia do Rio Almada-Ilheus View project

All content following this page was uploaded by Paulo T. L. Menezes on 31 July 2014.

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

GEOPHYSICS, VOL. 72, NO. 3 共MAY-JUNE 2007兲; P. M1–M5, 4 FIGS.
10.1190/1.2710352

Case History

Kimberlite exploration at Serra da Canastra province, Brazil

Paulo T. L. Menezes1 and Mauricio D. M. García2

an economic discovery of a primary deposit has continued over sev-

ABSTRACT
Kimberlite and lamproite pipes are the only economically
significant source rocks forming primary diamond deposits.
Brazil, the world’s seventh largest diamond producer, has all
of its production from alluvial deposits. The quest for a pri-
mary deposit has continued over several decades with very
few positive results. To that end, airborne magnetic data from
the Serra da Canastra diamondiferous province was used to
identify kimberlite signatures. Serra da Canastra is located in
the central portion of the Brazilian province in a low-magnet-
ic-latitude region. The main tectonic feature of the area is a
northwest-southeast major crustal fracture zone that extends
for more than 3000 km within the territory. The interpreta-
tion strategy was based on joint analysis of analytic signal
and Euler deconvolution. A selected kimberlite target should
typically have a roughly circular analytic signal anomaly co-
incident with a depth 共0–200 m兲 and structural 共N = 2兲 con-
strained Euler solution. The proposed approach led to recog-
nition of previously known pipes and generation of new tar-
gets. Ground geologic, geophysical, and geochemical fol-
low-up surveys are necessary to test these selected targets.
INTRODUCTION
Diamonds are found in many rock types, including consolidated
sediments, metamorphic rocks, kimberlite, and lamproite. But only
the last two types provide diamonds in economic concentrations.
Brazil, the seventh largest producer of diamonds, is an exception be-
cause all production comes from alluvial deposits, mainly using
manual techniques. Although several kimberlite pipes have been
discovered in the Brazilian Serra da Canastra province, the quest for
eral decades with very few positive results 共Garcia, 2004兲.
Kimberlite pipes commonly have a diagnostic geochemical sig-
nature with high titanium, chromium, nickel, magnesium, barium,
and niobium values in overlying residual soils. The associated min-
eral suite of high-chromium chromite, chrome diopside, low-calci-
um pyrope garnets 共G10 garnets兲, and magnesian ilmenites 共picroil-
menite兲 is frequently used as an exploration guide within an indica-
tor mineral sampling program.
Several geophysical methods, such as the magnetic method
共Sarma et al., 1999; Keating and Sailhac, 2004兲, electromagnetic
共Smith et al., 1996兲, and gravity 共Vasanthi and Mallick, 2005兲, are
used routinely in regional exploration for kimberlites worldwide.
The effectiveness of any geophysical method in detecting any target
depends on the existence of a measurable physical property contrast
between the target and the host.
The classical model of a pipe resembles a carrot-shaped or conical
geometry with steeply dipping walls and diameter vanishing with in-
creasing depth 共Skinner, 1986兲. Frequently, kimberlite pipes are
moderately to strongly magnetized, with reported susceptibilities in
the range from 1 to 80⫻ 10−3 units SI 共Power et al., 2004兲. Howev-
er, the observed magnetic response may vary with several factors,
depending upon weathering, chemistry and content of magnetic
minerals, depth, erosion level, and remanent magnetization, as well
as the orientation and intensity of the inducing field. The conductivi-
ty of a kimberlite is also variable because it depends upon porosity,
chemical composition, depth, weathering, alteration, and contrast
with background. The gravity response of a kimberlite may vary
within the body. In the upper weathered layers 共blue and yellow
ground兲, the density contrast is generally negative, leading to a grav-
ity low, whereas a gravity high may be recognized if the diatreme
kimberlite has been eroded to fresh hardebank kimberlite.
Among all geophysical methods, the magnetic method is the most
widely used as a primary search tool for detecting kimberlites. This

Manuscript received by the Editor January 18, 2006; revised manuscript received October 24, 2006; published online March 19, 2007.
1
Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Departamento de Geologia Aplicada, Faculdade de Geologia, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. E-mail: ptarsomenezes@
pq.cnpq.br.
2
MDMGARCIA Serviços de Geologia Ltda., Rua Nito de Deus Vieira, Brazil. E-mail: mdmgarcia@uol.com.br.
© 2007 Society of Exploration Geophysicists. All rights reserved.

M1

Downloaded 18 Dec 2010 to 187.15.185.49. Redistribution subject to SEG license or copyright; see Terms of Use at http://segdl.org/
M2
is partly because the magnetic airborne survey is relatively simple
and inexpensive compared with other geophysical methods. Air-
borne surveys can directly locate kimberlite pipes and define opti-
mal targets for ground follow-up surveys. Most kimberlite pipes
have a distinctive signature at high magnetic latitudes — a roughly
circular total magnetic intensity 共TMI兲 anomaly — although more
complex responses also are observed 共Keating and Sailhac, 2004兲.
To help in the interpretation procedure, several enhancement tech-
niques, such as gradient 共vertical, horizontal兲 and analytic signal, are
used 共Cowan et al., 2000兲. These techniques can clarify the expected
circular signature of a kimberlite pipe.
This paper describes the interpretation of kimberlite signatures
based on the analysis of an aeromagnetic survey at Serra da Canastra
diamondiferous province 共Figure 1兲. The main tectonic feature of
the area is the AZ125 lineament 共Figure 1, a northwest-southeast-
trending major crustal fracture zone. Several kimberlite pipes are de-
scribed along AZ125 and also at the Transbrasiliano lineament 共Fig-
ure 1 inset兲, a northeast-southwest-trending major crustal fracture
zone.
The main goal of this work is to analyze and interpret aeromagnet-
ic data to identify possible kimberlite targets in Serra da Canastra
province. The area is located at low magnetic latitude where the field
inclination is about −28°. Our pattern recognition criteria are based
on the integrated analysis of the analytic signal and Euler deconvolu-
tion. Following this approach, we identify not only the previously
known pipes in the region but also new targets with similar charac-
teristics.
GEOLOGIC SETTING
Serra da Canastra is a well-known Brazilian diamondiferous
province. It is estimated that, since the 1930s, at least 2 million car-
ats of diamonds have been produced from small-scale alluvial opera-
tions 共Garcia, 2004兲. The area is characterized by an impressive rift-
and-plateau topography and complex structural geology where kim-
7,760,000
Brazil
AZ125
Can
South
UTM North (m)
Ar_uahm
America
7,750,000
ep*
wp*
Ar_ua
7,740,000
320,000 330,000 340,000
UTM East (m)
Figure 1. Serra da Canastra province, Brazil. Map shows geological
contacts superimposed on TM/LANDSAT-5 image. Can: Canastra
Group, composed of intercalated schists and quartzites; Ar: Araxás
Group, comprised of carbonatic metapelites 共Arគua兲 and hematite
schists and quartzites 共Arគuahm兲. Asterisks indicate known pipes: ep
— eastern pipe, wp — western pipe. The white arrows indicate a
strike-slip fault along the contact between the Canastra and Araxás
groups. The study area is shown as an inset map. The AZ125 共bold
white line兲 and Transbrasiliano 共TL, inset map兲 lineaments are major
crustal fracture zones.
Downloaded 18 Dec 2010 to 187.15.185.49. Redistribution subject to SEG license or copyright; see Terms of Use at http://segdl.org/
Menezes and García
berlite pipes intrude Neoproterozoic metasediments of Canastra and
Araxás Groups 共Pimentel and Fuck, 1992兲.
The Canastra Group displays a complex imbrication of low green-
schist metamorphic facies: metarenites and metapelites 共graphite,
ferruginous, and carbonated facies兲 in strike-slip fault contact with
quartzites, metapelitic schists, and paragneisses metamorphosed in
the high greenschist facies of the Araxás Group 共Figure 1兲. The
Araxás Group comprises two different units: Arគua, which repre-
sents the basal portion and contains a regressive sequence with car-
bonatic metapelites and several marble lenses, and Arគuahm, the top
sequence with quartzite layers and hematite schists 共Arគuahm in Fig-
ure 1兲.
The kimberlite pipes are associated with extensive Cretaceous
magmatism that occurred during the opening of the South Atlantic
Ocean 共Thompson et al., 1998兲. Ultrapotassic/potassic and ultrama-
fic/mafic diatremes are the main igneous rock types 共Sgarbi et al.,
1998兲. The strontium and neodymium isotopic signatures of these
rocks are classified as intermediate between group I and group II
South African kimberlites 共Bizzi et al., 1991; Gibson et al., 1995兲.
SERRA DA CANASTRA AIRBORNE SURVEY
A commercial contractor acquired the airborne magnetic data at
Serra da Canastra from 1996 to 1998. Data were collected along
north-south acquisition lines at a nominal line spacing of 250 and
150 m ground clearance. East-west tie lines were flown at a 2500-m
interval. The processing done at the time of the survey by the con-
tractor consisted of positioning the data, removing diurnal magnetic
variation, leveling, and removing the International Gravity Refer-
ence Field 共IGRF兲. To compute the total magnetic intensity 共TMI兲
anomaly, reference was made to the 1998 magnetic field characteris-
tics for the area, resulting in intensity of 23,423.5 nT, inclination of
27.83° south, and declination of 19.73° west.
The TMI data were then imported into a database and gridded at a
62.5-m interval. Several spurious north-south elongated anomalies
associated with unleveled flight lines became evident. These corru-
gations were removed following the approach suggested by Luy-
endyk 共1997兲. The leveled TMI anomaly map is shown in Figure 2.
TL
TARGET SELECTION
The TMI anomaly map of Serra da Canastra province 共Figure 2兲
Atlantic
Ocean
shows strong elongated northwest-southeast-trending anomalies in
the northern portion of the data set. These regional anomalies are as-
sociated with outcropping magnetic schists of the Canastra Group. A
smoother magnetic relief is associated with the hematite-schists/
quartzite intercalation of Araxás Group 共Arគuahm兲. The contact
between Arគua and Arគuahm in the southwestern portion of the data
set is represented by a northwest-southeast-trending elongated
anomaly.
In the central portion, two distinctive, roughly circular strong
magnetic lows can be associated with previously unknown kimber-
lite pipes 共B in Figure 2兲. This unusual response 共in such south mag-
netic latitudes we would expect a magnetic dipole with a positive
northern flank and a negative southern flank兲 suggests a remanent
component. The southernmost low B is located along the fault con-
tact between the Canastra and Araxás groups.
To help in the interpretation task, two known kimberlite pipes are
marked by asterisks in the TMI anomaly map. These pipes are cov-
ered by 10- and 50-m crater fill deposits 共Garcia, 2004兲. A small,
 Kimberlite exploration M3

smooth isolated magnetic dipole can be associated with the western fined isolated semicircular anomaly. Several similar anomalies are
pipe 共wp in Figure 2兲. The magnetic anomaly from the eastern pipe evidenced in the central-southern domain, and most of them are
共ep in Figure 2兲 is more difficult to detect because it is located within probably associated with undiscovered pipes. The eastern pipe 共ep in
the strong northwest-southeast anomaly associated with Canastra Figure 3兲, on the other hand, does not show a remarkable isolated
Group schists. anomaly because it is masked by a stronger northwest-southern
Several data-enhancement techniques can be used to better screen
elongated anomaly associated with a schist layer of the northeastern
a pipe-like anomaly. Smith et al. 共1996兲 propose a magnetic-electro-
domain.
magnetic joint interpretation for kimberlite reconnaissance. Pater-
son et al. 共1991兲 apply 3D Euler deconvolution to automatically lo-
cate pipe-like anomalies. Euler deconvolution can provide solutions
of particular structural types, as defined by the
structural index parameter N. Keating and Sail- 7,760,000
hac 共2004兲 propose a simple pattern recognition
Can
technique based on the analytic signal, where 23523.65
23499.48
some a priori knowledge of pipe diameter and 23489.45
23483.98
23478.96
depths is needed. Both Euler deconvolution and 23474.4
23468.47
23461.63
analytic signal techniques may identify too many UTM North (m) 23452.51
21389.68

targets to generate specific exploration targets; nT

ep*
Keating and Sailhac 共2004兲 recommend further
7,750,000
screening with other techniques. wp* B
We used a target selection criteria based on the
integrated analysis of the analytic signal and Eu-
ler deconvolution, i.e., a chosen magnetic source
should meet two requirements simultaneously: a Ar_uahm
roughly circular analytic signal anomaly coinci- Ar_ua
dent with a 3D Euler solution with N = 2 共point
7,740,000
pole source兲 and depth constrained between 0 and 320,000 330,000 340,000
200 m. We expect that the crosscheck among the UTM East (m)
analytic signal and Euler results would lead to a
reduction in the inherent ambiguity of the inter- Figure 2. Total magnetic intensity anomaly of the Serra da Canastra province. Geological
pretation process. contacts are superimposed. Note the strong northwest-southeast magnetic signature of
The analytic signal enhances the boundaries of Canastra Group schists in the northern portion of the area and two strong circular lows in
magnetic sources regardless of the direction of the central portion, marked as B. Asterisks indicate known pipes: ep — eastern pipe, wp
— western pipe. Contour units are in nanoteslas.
source magnetization and the direction of the
earth’s field. This method performs well even at
low magnetic latitudes 共Keating and Sailhac, 7,760,000
2004兲. Thus, all bodies with the same geometry
have the same analytic signal shape. 0.25 NED
0.14
0.09
Based on the analytic signal map of Canastra 0.06

Province 共Figure 3兲, it is possible to divide the

0.04
0.03

0.02
Canastra Group into two distinct geological do- 0.01
Northing (m)

mains: the northeastern 共NED in Figure 3兲, char- nT/m

7,750,000 ep*
acterized by high amplitude values and strong
northwest-southeast elongated anomalies, and B
the central-southern domain 共CSD in Figure 3兲,
characterized by smooth and low-amplitude CSD
background anomalies. These domains reflect a
compositional differentiation within the Canastra
Group. In the northeastern domain, magnetic
schists are predominant, while in the central- 7,740,000
southern, quartzite is the main lithology. 320,000 330,000 340,000
Two strong, huge circular anomalies in the cen- Easting (m)
tral portion of the area 共B in Figure 3兲 indicate the
existence of large magnetic bodies 共about 1 km in Figure 3. The amplitude of the analytic signal field, derived from the total magnetic inten-
diameter兲, probably associated with kimberlite sity anomaly data of Fig. 2. Geological contacts are superimposed. Asterisks indicate
intrusions. The known kimberlite pipes are high- known kimberlite pipes: ep — eastern pipe, wp — western pipe. The black dashed line
ly correlated with smooth circular analytic signal represents the interpreted contact between two distinct geological domains within Canas-
tra Group: NED, the northeastern domain represented mainly by magnetic schists, and
anomalies. The western pipe 共wp in Figure 3兲 in- CSD, the central-southern domain represented mainly by quartzites. Two strong circular
truded the nonmagnetic hematite schists of the anomalies are probably associated with large intrusive bodies 共B兲. Contour units are in
Unit A-Araxás Group and correlates to a well-de- nanoteslas per meter.

Downloaded 18 Dec 2010 to 187.15.185.49. Redistribution subject to SEG license or copyright; see Terms of Use at http://segdl.org/
M4 Menezes and García

DISCUSSION
The Euler deconvolution method does not require a priori knowl-
edge of the source magnetization direction and assumes no particu-
lar interpretation model. The structural index N defines the magnetic
field falloff rate; the source-to-observation distance is related to the
geometry of the magnetic source and can be determined in advance
共Barbosa et al., 1999兲. The structural index varies continuously from
zero for a contact 共having no finite dimensions兲 to three for a dipole-
like source or magnetic sphere. Here we use a structural index of
two, corresponding to pole point sources. This represents the mag-
netic effects of a long, thin, vertical prism, which resembles the ge-
ometry of many kimberlite pipes. Solutions from Euler deconvolu-
tion superimposed on the analytic signal are presented in Figure 4a.
As expected, the Euler method produced an oversupply of solutions,
thus complicating the choice of any potential target.
To further constrain the deconvolution results and get more mean-
ingful solutions, we also applied a depth discriminator, automatical-
ly discarding solutions outside the 0–200-m depth range. The known
kimberlite pipes in the area and most of the economic deposits are
situated within this depth range. Using only those solutions comput-
ed with N = 2 and between 0 and 200 m in depth superimposed on
the analytic signal grid 共Figure 4b兲, we achieved a result where the
known kimberlites are identified along with an acceptable number of
other potential targets. The near-surface solutions with a coincident
circular analytic signal anomaly are ranked as high-priority targets
for ground follow-up geochemical and geophysical surveys. These
targets are identified by squares in Figure 4b. The unselected near-
surface solutions are ranked low priority and should be further inves-
tigated in detail by zooming into images 共e.g., TMI, first vertical gra-
dient兲 and cross-checking with profile-by-profile inspection to de-
cide whether to accept or reject the solution.

a) CONCLUSIONS
7,760,000

0.25
0.14
We have demonstrated the potential applica-
0.09
0.06 tion of the magnetic method in detecting kimber-
UTM North (m)

0.04
0.03 lite pipes in low-magnetic-latitude areas. In that
0.02
0.01
context, the available airborne magnetic data
nT/m from the Serra da Canastra diamondiferous prov-
ep* ince were investigated. The primary objective of
7,750,000
the geophysical interpretation was the identifica-
tion and ranking of possible kimberlite targets
based on their magnetic response.
Our chosen criterion was based on the joint
analysis of analytic signal and constrained Euler
solutions, i.e., a magnetic source selected for fol-
low-up should simultaneously meet two require-
7,740,000
320,000 330,000 340,000
ments: have a roughly circular analytic signal
anomaly and be coincident with a constrained Eu-
UTM East (m)
ler solution. The Euler solutions were limited to
those with a structural index of two, representing
b) a point pole source, and having depths between 0
7,760,000
and 200 m 共shallow sources兲. The proposed ap-
0.25
0.14 proach led to recognition of previously known
0.09
0.06
pipes in the area, and targets having a likelihood
0.04
0.03 of being new pipes were identified. Ground geo-
0.02
logical, geophysical, and geochemical follow-up
UTM North (m)

0.01

nT/m
surveys are planned to confirm, or contradict, the
ep* present interpretation.
7,750,000

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
We would like to thank SAMSUL Mineração
Ltda. for making the airborne magnetic data
available. We thank associate editor Michael As-
7,740,000
320,000 330,000 340,000 ten, Shanti Rajagopalan, Valeria C. F. Barbosa,
UTM East (m) and an anonymous reviewer for their valuable
suggestions. MDMG acknowledges a CAPES
Figure 4. High-quality Euler solutions 共black circles兲 with a structural index of two super- scholarship. PTLM was supported by a Prociên-
imposed on the map of the analytic signal field. 共a兲 Unconstrained solutions. 共b兲 Solutions
constrained between 0 and 200-m depth: ep — eastern pipe, wp — western pipe. High- cia-UERJ scholarship. Additional support for
priority selected targets are marked with squares. Contour units are in nanoteslas per PTLM was provided by Edital-Universal/CNPq
meter. under contract 472229/03-6.

Downloaded 18 Dec 2010 to 187.15.185.49. Redistribution subject to SEG license or copyright; see Terms of Use at http://segdl.org/
 Kimberlite exploration
REFERENCES
Barbosa, V. C. F., J. B. C. Silva, and W. E. Medeiros, 1999, Stability analysis
and improvement of structural index estimation in Euler deconvolution:
Geophysics, 64, 48–60.
Bizzi, L. A., M. J. De Wit, C. B. Smith, I. McDonald, and R. A. Armstrong,
1995, Heterogeneous enriched mantle materials and dual-type magma-
tism along the SW margin of the São Francisco craton, Brazil: Journal of
Geodynamics, 20, 469–491.
Cowan, D. R., L. A. Tompkins, and C. Cowan, 2000, Screening kimberlite
magnetic anomalies in magnetically active areas: Exploration Geophys-
ics, 31, 66–72.
Garcia, M. D. M., 2004, Prospecção Mineral para kimberlito: Estudo de caso
na Serra da Canastra, ênfase em magnetometria: M.S. thesis, Universidade
do Estado do Rio de Janeiro.
Gibson, S. A., R. N. Thompson, O. H. Leonardos, A. P. Dickin, and J. G.
Mitchell, 1995, The Late Cretaceous impact of the Trindade mantle plume
evidence from large-volume mafic, potassic magmatism in SE Brazil:
Journal of Petrology, 36, 189–229.
Keating, P., and P. Sailhac, 2004, Use of the analytic signal to identify mag-
netic anomalies due to kimberlite pipes: Geophysics, 69, 180–190.
Luyendyk, A. P. J., 1997, Processing of airborne magnetic data: AGSO Jour-
nal of Australian Geology & Geophysics, 17, 31–38.
Paterson, N. R., K. C. H. Kwan, and S. W. Reford, 1991, Use of Euler decon-
volution in recognizing magnetic anomalies of pipe-like bodies: 61st An-
nual International Meeting, SEG, Expanded Abstracts, 642–645.
View publication stats Downloaded 18 Dec 2010 to 187.15.185.49. Redistribution subject to SEG license or copyright; see Terms of Use at http://segdl.org/
M5
Pimentel, M. M., and R. A. Fuck, 1992, Neoproterozoic crustal accretion in
central Brazil: Geology, 20, 375–379.
Power, M., G. Belcourt, and E. Rockel, 2004, Geophysical methods for kim-
berlite exploration in northern Canada: The Leading Edge, 23, 1124–
1129.
Sarma, B. S. P., B. K. Verma, and S. V. Satyanarayana, 1999, Magnetic map-
ping of Majhgawan diamond pipe of central India: Geophysics, 64,
1735–1739.
Sgarbi, P. B. A., R. N. Clayton, T. K. Mayeda, and J. C. Gaspar, 1998, Oxygen
isotope thermometry of Brazilian potassic volcanic rocks of kamafugitic
affinities: Chemical Geology, 136, 115–126.
Skinner, E. M. W., 1986, Contrasting group 1 and group 2 kimberlite petrolo-
gy, Towards a genetic model for kimberlites: 4th International Kimberlite
Conference, Geological Society Australia, Extended Abstract Series, n.
16, 202–204.
Smith, R. S., A. P. Annan, J. Lemieux, and R. N. Pedersen, 1996, Application
of a modified GEOTEM® system to reconnaissance exploration for kim-
berlites in the Point Lake area, NWT, Canada: Geophysics, 61, 82–92.
Thompson, R. N., S. A. Gibson, J. G. Mitchell, A. P. Dickin, O. K. Leonardos,
J. A. Brod, and J. C. Greenwood, 1998, Migrating Cretaceous-Eocene
magmatism in the Serra do Mar alkaline province, SE Brasil, Melts from
the deflected Trindade mantle plume?: Journal of Petrology, 39, 1493–
1526.
Vasanthi, A., and K. Mallick, 2005, Bouguer gravity anomalies and occur-
rence patterns of kimberlite pipes in Narayanpet-Maddur regions, Andhra
Pradesh, India: Geophysics, 70, no. 1, J13–J24.