History · Geology
About Wafangdian Diamond Mine
The Wafangdian Diamond Mine in Liaoning Province is one of only two confirmed kimberlite-hosted diamond fields in China (paired with Mengyin in Shandong). Active since the 1970s, it produced China’s second major diamond output through the 2000s. Wafangdian completes the encyclopedia’s “Chinese diamond chain” alongside Mengyin and establishes Liaoning as a publishing-grade locality entry.
Geology & Signature Specimens
The deposit consists of a cluster of small kimberlite pipes intruded into Late Proterozoic carbonate sequences during the Ordovician. Diamonds are typically small octahedral and dodecahedral crystals associated with pyrope garnet, forsterite olivine, ilmenite, and phlogopite — all classic mantle-source kimberlite indicators. Annual production peaked in the 1980s–90s; current operations are limited as known pipes approach depletion.
Minerals Produced Here
- Diamond (金刚石)
- Forsterite (镁橄榄石)
