Abstract
The two known kimberlite intrusions in the Appalachian Plateau of Pennsylvania are spatially distributed along the extension of the Rome Trough at cross-structural lineament intersections. It is inferred that the down-to-the-east basement faults associated with the Rome Trough in Pennsylvania were reactivated by tensional forces during the reopening of the Atlantic Ocean during the Jurassic. Cross-structural lineaments defined by gravity, magnetic, structural, and LANDSAT data appear to be expressions of basement fractures. Areas of crustal weakness where these fractures intersect fault zones caused by rifting are likely sites of intrusions. This model of kimberlite intrusion can also be used to explain the location of the known New York kimberlites.
