Buffalo Head Hills kimberlite field grained, and well bedded, with high bedding angles. The reworked kimberlite is well sorted, distinctly bedded, and contains abraded olivine grains. Multiple layers of pyroclastic and reworked kimberlite separated by layers of marine mudstone are present at some pipes. These represent a series of discrete kimberlite eruption events separated by quiescent periods during which the muds were deposited. The majority of the BHH kimberlites are diamondiferous, in contrast to those of the Birch Mountains kimberlite field to the northeast which are mostly barren of diamonds. Based on petrography and whole-rock geochemistry, the BHH pipes are classed as Group 1A kimberlites.
Gemstone irradiation Gemstone irradiation The gemstone irradiation is a process in which a gemstone is artificially irradiated in order to enhance its optical properties. High levels of ionizing radiation can change the atomic structure of the gemstone's crystal lattice, which in turn alters the optical properties within it. As a result, the gemstone's color may be significantly altered or the visibility of its inclusions may be lessened. The process, widely practised in jewelry industry, is done in either a nuclear reactor for neutron bombardment, a particle accelerator for electron bombardment, or a gamma ray facility using the radioactive isotope cobalt-60. Irradiation has