The idea for this Society of Economic Geologists (SEG) diamonds volume was conceived a little over a decade ago by the former head of exploration at Rio Tinto, a multinational mining corporation. The goal was to produce a comprehensive and compelling account for their own exploration and for resource geologists, potential business partners, and those in the broader diamond industry and in academia. The result presented here is a retrospective that is both a technical record and a statement of capability.
Rio Tinto's history in diamond exploration spans more than four decades, starting in 1977 with the discovery of the Ellendale lamproites in Western Australia. The discoveries detailed
in this volume – Argyle (Australia), Bunder (India), Diavik (Canada), and Murowa (Zimbabwe) – were made by Rio Tinto and its partners.
It is not just discovery success that is captured in this volume. This is balanced with the history of diamond exploration and discovery with perspectives from academia on mantle minerals and diamonds as well as innovation in orebody evaluation techniques.