The geochemistry of rare earth elements in carbonate melts. This project aims to determine why deposits of rare earth elements, which are critical for modern devices and technologies such as phones, tablets and plasma screens, are associated with carbonate magmas. The global supply of these critical metals is geopolitically unstable and, although Australia has significant reserves, there is very limited production. By improving our understanding of the geochemical behaviour of the rare earths th ....The geochemistry of rare earth elements in carbonate melts. This project aims to determine why deposits of rare earth elements, which are critical for modern devices and technologies such as phones, tablets and plasma screens, are associated with carbonate magmas. The global supply of these critical metals is geopolitically unstable and, although Australia has significant reserves, there is very limited production. By improving our understanding of the geochemical behaviour of the rare earths this project aims to develop new reverse-engineering methods for their extraction, which will improve the security of supply of these elements and enhance Australia's role in high-tech industries. The project will enhance the profitability of the Australian resources sector through improved extraction economics and will secure the supply of these critical metals for Australian high-tech industries and export. The outcomes will be targeted initially at junior resource companies that are not yet profitable.Read moreRead less
Experimental and empirical insight into melting of the early Earth's mantle. The early Earth's mantle produced melt at much higher temperature than today, creating rocks with unique chemistries and mineralogies. But pressing knowledge gaps about hot mantle melting remain. The aim of this project is to generate new experimental and empirical knowledge to help closing these gaps by:
(i) conducting high pressure experiments to refine phase-composition relationships and element partitioning;
(ii) qu ....Experimental and empirical insight into melting of the early Earth's mantle. The early Earth's mantle produced melt at much higher temperature than today, creating rocks with unique chemistries and mineralogies. But pressing knowledge gaps about hot mantle melting remain. The aim of this project is to generate new experimental and empirical knowledge to help closing these gaps by:
(i) conducting high pressure experiments to refine phase-composition relationships and element partitioning;
(ii) quantifying mineral fabrics in cratonic peridotites to understand the movement of early continents; and
(iii) constructing the first petrological deep time model for greenstone belt volcanic rocks.
The expected outcomes are better models for the early Earth's melting and tectonic regimes and insight into the emergence of land.Read moreRead less
The Missing link in the Tasmanides: evaluating tectonic evolution and resource exploration potential of the southern Thomson Fold belt. Understanding the Thomson Orogen, a geological region which straddles the New South Wales and Queensland border, is critical for developing geodynamic models for the evolution of eastern Australia, and assessing resource potential. However, it lies under the Great Artesian Basin. This project focusses on ground truthing geophysical acquisition studies using dril ....The Missing link in the Tasmanides: evaluating tectonic evolution and resource exploration potential of the southern Thomson Fold belt. Understanding the Thomson Orogen, a geological region which straddles the New South Wales and Queensland border, is critical for developing geodynamic models for the evolution of eastern Australia, and assessing resource potential. However, it lies under the Great Artesian Basin. This project focusses on ground truthing geophysical acquisition studies using drill core from a targeted drilling program, designed to maximise the available tectono-stratigraphic information. The outcome intends to be a 3D geological map of the region, which can be interrogated for mineral exploration targeting, and from which 4D evolutionary geodynamic models of eastern Australian can be integrated.Read moreRead less
Lifting the veil on the Geological Dark Ages: The search for Hadean Crust on Earth. The project involves detailed field and isotopic study of some of the oldest known rocks and minerals to develop the first comprehensive picture of the earliest growth of the Australian continent. The data will reveal the timing and processes of continent formation and shed new light on the enigmatic early period of the Earth's evolution.
Melting in the Earth and the origin of basalts. This project aims to investigate and link the many studies of natural basalts to better understand Earth’s global tectonics and mineral resources. Much of our knowledge of the deep Earth’s history comes from studying the melting of the mantle to produce basaltic magma. This project will investigate experimentally at high temperatures and pressures, link studies of natural basalts with melting processes in simplified chemical systems. The expected o ....Melting in the Earth and the origin of basalts. This project aims to investigate and link the many studies of natural basalts to better understand Earth’s global tectonics and mineral resources. Much of our knowledge of the deep Earth’s history comes from studying the melting of the mantle to produce basaltic magma. This project will investigate experimentally at high temperatures and pressures, link studies of natural basalts with melting processes in simplified chemical systems. The expected outcome is a comprehensive model for the origin of basalts on Earth and in other rocky planets, which will establish the framework for the geochemical cycles of the elements and lead to a better understanding of mineral resources.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE150100050
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$970,000.00
Summary
A new national electron microprobe facility. A new national electron microprobe facility: Precise chemical microanalysis underpins research on Earth materials. The Electron Microprobe (EMP) is the main instrument to achieve this. It performs rapid quantitative analysis and element mapping on solid materials at micron resolution. This facility will support an impressive variety of research including experimental, igneous and metamorphic petrology and geochronology. It will foster increased collab ....A new national electron microprobe facility. A new national electron microprobe facility: Precise chemical microanalysis underpins research on Earth materials. The Electron Microprobe (EMP) is the main instrument to achieve this. It performs rapid quantitative analysis and element mapping on solid materials at micron resolution. This facility will support an impressive variety of research including experimental, igneous and metamorphic petrology and geochronology. It will foster increased collaboration between partner organisations including universities and major geoscience institutes.Read moreRead less
Just add water: a recipe for the deformation of continental interiors. By integrating geochemical, geochronological and microstructural datasets, this project aims to provide a novel framework for fluid–rock systems in the lithosphere. Plate tectonics argues that continental interiors are usually stable, rigid and undeformable, yet mountain belts have formed in these locations. Their existence suggests that strong crust can be weakened to allow the accommodation of deforming forces, but the unde ....Just add water: a recipe for the deformation of continental interiors. By integrating geochemical, geochronological and microstructural datasets, this project aims to provide a novel framework for fluid–rock systems in the lithosphere. Plate tectonics argues that continental interiors are usually stable, rigid and undeformable, yet mountain belts have formed in these locations. Their existence suggests that strong crust can be weakened to allow the accommodation of deforming forces, but the underlying causes for this change in behaviour are not clear. This project aims to investigate the largely unexplored impact of fluid flow on the characteristics of intraplate deformation. This would improve our understanding of what modulates the strength of continental crust, including its susceptibility to seismic activity, and the ways in which fluids interact with the deep crust, including their mineralisation potential.Read moreRead less
Four dimensional lithospheric evolution and controls on mineral system distribution in Neoarchean to Paleoproterozoic terranes. This project will resolve important questions about the links between the evolution and preservation of continents and important mineral deposits in Australia and West Africa between 2.7 and 1.8 billion years ago. The results will improve the understanding of a key period of Earth history and make a major contribution to mineral exploration.
Continents in the Mantle Transition Zone? Sediment Recycling and the Geochemical Fertilization of the Deep Mantle. Because of its intrinsic compositional buoyancy, continental crust has traditionally been considered to be unsubductable in the denser underlying mantle. Yet some ocean island basalts carry a geochemical signature of recycled continental material in their plume source in the deep mantle. This project will reconcile this paradox through high-pressure experiments that will simulate su ....Continents in the Mantle Transition Zone? Sediment Recycling and the Geochemical Fertilization of the Deep Mantle. Because of its intrinsic compositional buoyancy, continental crust has traditionally been considered to be unsubductable in the denser underlying mantle. Yet some ocean island basalts carry a geochemical signature of recycled continental material in their plume source in the deep mantle. This project will reconcile this paradox through high-pressure experiments that will simulate subduction of continental sediments into the deep mantle. These experiments will provide the first empirical constraints on the role of sediment-derived fluids in mantle metasomatism and the origin of economically-rich potassic magmas, and the nature of the ultrarefractory continental component that ultimately reaches the plume source for ocean-island basalts.Read moreRead less
Deciphering the tectonic record of the early Earth. This project aims to decipher how and why plate tectonics emerged, and how any precursor tectonic system modulated planetary heat loss. The project expects to generate new knowledge regarding the tectonic record of the early Earth using pressure–temperature–age constraints from truly ancient (2.8–4.0 billion year old) metamorphosed rocks worldwide. Expected outcomes of this collaborative international project include the development of a concep ....Deciphering the tectonic record of the early Earth. This project aims to decipher how and why plate tectonics emerged, and how any precursor tectonic system modulated planetary heat loss. The project expects to generate new knowledge regarding the tectonic record of the early Earth using pressure–temperature–age constraints from truly ancient (2.8–4.0 billion year old) metamorphosed rocks worldwide. Expected outcomes of this collaborative international project include the development of a conceptual geodynamic model for the early Earth. This should provide significant benefits in permitting a better understanding of the where and why of Australia’s natural resources, in training a new generation of Earth system scientists, and in broadening public awareness of fundamental Earth science.
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