International Kimberlite Conferences
International Kimberlite Conferences (IKCs) are special events which take place every 4-5 years. The first IKC was held in Cape Town in 1973 and was heralded as a major breakthrough in symbiotic cooperation between industry and academia. Subsequent to the first conference, IKCs have been held in: Santa Fe, New Mexico (1977); Clermond-Ferrand, France (1982); Perth, Western Australia (1986); Araxa, Brazil (1991); Novosibirsk, Russia (1995), Cape Town, South Africa (1998); Victoria, Canada (2003); Frankfurt, Germany (2008); and Bangalore, India (2012). The 11th International Kimberlite Conference is to be held for the first time in Gaborone, Botswana in 2017. This coincides with the 50 year anniversary of the discovery of economic diamond deposits in Botswana.
A major aspect of all IKCs is the combination of formal technical presentations and field excursions to major diamond deposits. Visits to the latter typically provide material for research to be presented at subsequent conferences. Proceedings Volumes with well recognised publishers together provide a remarkable source of scientific information as well as a history of the evolution of knowledge and interpretation. The advances made in understanding the origins of diamonds, the formation of diamond deposits, the petrology of kimberlites and lamproites, and the nature of the upper mantle could not have been made without the format of IKCs and extensive collaboration with industry. Generous corporate support and sponsorship has been a key to the success of IKCs including the financial support which has resulted in participation by a large number of young scientists.
International Kimberlite Conferences Advisory Committee
These conferences are held under the auspices of the International Kimberlite Conferences Advisory Committee (IKCAC). This committee consists of internationally-recognised academic and industrial scientists who are active in research concerned with diamonds, diamond deposits, diamond-bearing rocks, and the character of the upper mantle. The function of the IKCAC is to recommend, and choose, suitable locations for IKCs, as well as to provide guidance and assistance to the local organisers of IKCs. Many members of IKCAC have organised previous IKCs. The IKCAC assumes no financial responsibility for any particular IKC, as each conference is considered to be a stand-alone event. Local organisers are responsible for all aspects of the conference. Each conference is expected to provide funds to start up subsequent conferences and in particular to sponsor the participation of young scientists.
International Kimberlite Conferences Advisory Committee Members
Roger Mitchell (Chair; Canada)
Gerhard Brey (Germany)
Fareeduddin Fareeduddin (India)
Herman Grütter (Canada)
John Gurney (South Africa)
Stephen Haggerty (USA)
Peter Nixon (UK)
Hugh O’Brien (Finland)
Sue O’Reilly (Australia)
Tom Nowicki (Canada)
Graham Pearson (Canada)
Roberta Rudnick (USA)
Barbara Scott Smith (Canada)
Craig Smith (South Africa)
Nick Sobolev (Russia)
Thomas Stachel (Canada)