We are pleased to hear a Petrology Lunch talk from Matt Wincott on the topic of: Diamonds and their inclusions as thermometers and clocks.

Abstract:

Temperature is a key control on the formation and evolution of the lithosphere, affecting continent growth, buoyancy and stability, and timings and styles of subduction. Secular temperature changes are currently mainly studied in computer modelling experiments. However, diamonds offer a unique insight into the Earth’s thermal history, preserving records from great depths over billions of years. This presentation will introduce how nitrogen aggregation measurements in zoned diamonds can be used to determine model residence temperatures through time. It will cover pitfalls in current methods and explain why 2D maps and line scans through individual diamonds are critical, using South African diamonds as a case study.