While I was reading The Northern Miner this morning, I kept thinking about a Canadian I had talked to. I was amazed that his company has staked more than 1 million acres of land on speculation for diamond deposits in Canada.
What really amazes me is that there is so much activity for diamonds in Canada when there are several proven targets in the Wyoming craton that, apparently, few people are paying attention to.
Areas in or near Wyoming that are prospective for diamonds include: the Wyoming craton, which may be an extension of the Canadian Hearne craton, and is essentially virgin ground; 40 known diamondiferous kimberlites along the Colorado-Wyoming border that have produced more than 120,000 diamonds, including some of the largest gem-quality diamonds in North America; 58 untested kimberlites (geochemical studies support that they originated in the diamond-stability field); several geophysical anomalies that indicate the presence of blind pipes in the middle of the diamond district; numerous reports of placer diamonds throughout the craton in Wyoming and Montana; diamond-stability garnets from northern Wyoming; one of the largest lamproite fields in the world, situated in southwest Wyoming; and several ultramafic lamprophyres, lamproites and kimberlites in Montana.
The Wyoming craton is every bit as desolate as parts of Canada, but we probably have more anomalies per square mile than Alberta and Saskatchewan.
Comparatively, Wyoming has received little exploration for diamonds.
W. Dan Hausel
Senior Economic Geologist
Wyoming State Geological Survey
Laramie, Wyo.
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