Kimberlite source of mined diamonds today. The consensus on kimberlites is that they are formed deep within the mantle. Formation occurs at depths between , potentially from anomalously enriched exotic mantle compositions, and they are erupted rapidly and violently, often with considerable carbon dioxideand other volatile components. It is this depth of melting and generation that makes kimberlites prone to hosting diamond xenocrysts. Despite its relative rarity, kimberlite has attracted attention because it serves as a carrier of diamonds and garnet peridotite mantle xenoliths to the Earth's surface. Its probable derivation from depths greater than any other igneous rock type, and
Lake Ellen Kimberlite till. Magnetic survey work done in 1956 depicts an elliptical positive anomaly long in an east–west direction and wide, which probably defines the limits of the pipe. The kimberlite is intruded into volcanic rocks of the Proterozoic Hemlock Formation. The exposed material is grayish green to reddish, iron stained highly weathered and consists of disaggregated rubbly fragments up to . It is generally accepted that the pipe was emplaced about 180 million years ago. The lake Ellen Kimberlite is popular with rock hounds as the classic indicator minerals (pyrope, magnesian ilmenite and chrome diopside) for kimberlite are easily found in