UBC researchers uncover new ways to detect diamonds in soil

by Tamanna Bhasin | November 29, 2023 11:33 am

Researchers collecting soil samples at a Northwest Territories mine. Photos courtesy University of British Columbia (UBC).

A study at the University of British Columbia (UBC) has discovered a new way to identify kimberlite, a type of rock that can contain diamond ores, buried in soil. By testing the DNA of microbial communities in surface soil, researchers were able to pinpoint minerals located deep within the earth’s surface without drilling.

One of the study’s co-authors, Bianca Iulianella Phillips, a doctoral candidate at UBC’s department of earth, ocean, and atmospheric sciences. Photo courtesy University of British Columbia.

As ore’s interaction with soil alters communities of soil microbes, researchers examined microbes in soil as “biological fingerprints” of buried mineral deposits. The study, which has tested soil in Northwest Territories and other parts of Northern Canada, represents a new technique for mineral exploration.

When evaluating this technique against geochemical analysis, an established mineral detection method that examines elements in soil, it was found the microbial analysis was more precise. The technique can potentially be applied to the identification of other metallic deposits. Ongoing research is looking into the detection of porphyry copper deposits.

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