An analysis of geological characteristics and genesis of ancient diamond placer ore in Cherokee mining area of Zimbabwe

The authors studied geological characteristics, seam features and regularity of Cherokee ancient diamond placer ore of Cherokee mining area in Zimbabwe and then established the exploration model of the ore deposits in this area. It is shown that the re-gion is structurally located at the eastern edge of the Archean craton in Zimbabwe, neighboring the Limpopo orogenic belt and the Mozambican orogenic belt in the west, and the Limpopo belt is an important diamond producing area. The area is in a favorable posi-tion for the mineralization of ancient diamond sand ore. The ore deposits occur in sand conglomerate of Proterozoic Ukendo Group, which belongs to sedimentary rocks. The diamond ore in this area is of sedimentary origin and belongs to the coastal environment structure.In the Middle Proterozoic period, the diamond in original mineral was stripped away by the weathering and carried by wind or water, then it deposited in the coastal area. The discovery and study of Cherokee ancient diamond placer ore in Zimbabwe have important guiding significance for finding more ancient diamond placer ores in China.