Lamproite

Lamproite is an ultrapotassic mantle-derived volcanic or subvolcanic rock. It has low CaO, Al₂O₃, Na₂O, high K₂O/Al₂O₃, a relatively high MgO content and extreme enrichment in incompatible elements.

Lamproites are geographically widespread yet are volumetrically insignificant. Unlike kimberlites, which are found exclusively in Archaean cratons, lamproites are found in terrains of varying age, ranging from Archaean in Western Australia, to Palaeozoic and Mesozoic in southern Spain. They also vary widely in age, from Proterozoic to Pleistocene, the youngest known example from Gaussberg in Antarctica being 56,000 ± 5,000 years old.

Lamproite volcanology is varied, with both diatreme styles and cinder cone or cone edifices known.