My main interests are origin and evolution of kimberlites, magmas that form deep beneath the continents and transport diamonds to the surface of the Earth, and how these magmas react with the diamonds they carry. Natural diamonds have various surface features produced as a result of partial dissolution during ascent in kimberlite magma or during residence in their mantle source. These surface features vary a lot on diamonds recovered from different magmatic sources. I use diamonds to study kimberlites. Most traditional diamond studies look inside diamonds to find clues to their origin and related processes in the subcratonic mantle. At the same time, diamond surface keeps an equally important record of the recent (kimberlite) history and possibly of the diamond destroying processes in the subcontinental mantle. In my research, I combine experimental studies at high pressure and temperatures with studies of natural diamond parcels to examine the process of diamond resorption, how we can use surface features on diamonds to determine crystallization conditions of kimberlites, how we can predict the degree of diamond preservation in different kimberlite pipes. The character of diamond resorption is determined by the composition of fluid present in the magma. Therefore, the main direction of my studies is to develop methods for investigating fluid phase of diamond-bearing magmas in order to describe fluid systems of kimberlites from the mantle source to their eruption at the surface. My research has also an economical application through development of geochemical tools for predicting the preservation and quality of diamonds recovered from kimberlites.
