Alkaline Rocks and Carbonatites of the World

Setup during HiTech AlkCarb: an online database of alkaline rock and carbonatite occurrences

Prairie Creek (Murfreesboro)

stripes

Occurrence number: 
174-00-123
Country: 
United States
Region: 
Arkansas
Location: 
Longitude: -93.68, Latitude: 34.02
Carbonatite: 
No

The Prairie Creek diatreme is approximately 700 m in diameter and was formerly considered to be a kimberlite, but is now classified as a lamproite (Scott Smith and Skinner, 1984a). The intrusion comprises three phases: a breccia, a tuff and a massive mica peridotite. The peridotite consists of 36% olivine, 26% glass, 14-21% clinopyroxene, 5-11% phlogopite, 7-8% perovskite, opaque oxides and a little potassic richterite; these phases are described in some detail by Scott Smith and Skinner (1984a). Among the abundant country rock xenoliths within the diatreme are some small, up to 2 cm diameter, mafic ones which contain priderite and titanian potassian richterite (Mitchell and Lewis, 1983). The xenoliths occur in a matrix of mica peridotite, and contain a core dominantly of diopside and titanian potassian richterite with accessory priderite and an outer corona with some amphibole together with phlogopite and minor pyroxene. Mineral analyses are given by Mitchell and Lewis (1983); a geological map and general description will be found in Meyer (1976, p. 387 and Fig. 8). Three smaller intrusions occur to the northeast of Prairie Creek, namely Kimberlite Mine, American Mine and Black Lick. Kimberlite Mine includes a possibly reworked tuff and porphyritic rocks comprising olivine and phlogopite with a groundmass of glass containing variable perovskite, clinopyroxene and possible pseudomorphs after melilite. American Mine also apparently contains a reworked tuff, together with a rock of abundant olivine in a groundmass of phlogopite, clinopyroxene, titanian-potassian-richterite and K-feldspar (Scott Smith and Skinner, 1983).

Economic: 
This is the only body in the U.S.A. to have been exploited commercially for diamonds.
Age: 
97-106 Ma (Waldman et al., 1985).
References: 

MEYER, H.O.A. 1976. Kimberlites of the continental United States: a review. Journal of Geology, 84: 377-403.
MITCHELL, R.H. and LEWIS, R.D. 1983. Priderite-bearing xenoliths from the Prairie Creek mica peridotite, Arkansas. Canadian Mineralogist, 21: 59-64.
SCOTT SMITH, B.H. and SKINNER, E.M.W. 1983. Kimberlite and American Mines, near Prairie Creek, Arkansas. In J. Kornprobst (Ed). Kimberlites III: Documents. Annales Scientifiques de L'Universite de Clermont-Ferrand II, 74: 27-36.
SCOTT SMITH, B.H. and SKINNER, E.M.W. 1984a. A new look at Prairie Creek, Arkansas. In J. Kornprobst (Ed). Kimberlites and related rocks. Proceedings of the Third International Kimberlite Conference, 1. Developments in petrology IIA. Elsevier, Amsterdam: 255-83.
SCOTT SMITH, B.H. and SKINNER, E.M.W. 1984b. Diamondiferous lamproites. Journal of Geology, 92: 433-8.
WALDMAN, M.A., MCCANDLESS, T.E. and DUMMETT, H.T. 1985. Geology & mineralogy of the Twin Knobs :1 lamproite, Pike County, Arkansas. Abstracts with Programs, Geological Society of America, 17: 196

Map: 
Fig. 1_175 Prairie Creek (after map provided by M.A. Waldman).
Scratchpads developed and conceived by (alphabetical): Ed Baker, Katherine Bouton Alice Heaton Dimitris Koureas, Laurence Livermore, Dave Roberts, Simon Rycroft, Ben Scott, Vince Smith