From Synchrotron Characterisation of Single Fluid Inclusions to Archaean Geodynamics: An Integrated Study of Fluid-Rock Interaction in the Primitive Crust. In the primitive Earth, a wide range of phenomena including the initiation of biological activity and the formation of ore deposits were related to the mobilisation of mineralised fluids through the crust. In the Archaean craton of the Pilbara (WA), we have identified, within its tectonic framework, a crustal-scale plumbing system that channe ....From Synchrotron Characterisation of Single Fluid Inclusions to Archaean Geodynamics: An Integrated Study of Fluid-Rock Interaction in the Primitive Crust. In the primitive Earth, a wide range of phenomena including the initiation of biological activity and the formation of ore deposits were related to the mobilisation of mineralised fluids through the crust. In the Archaean craton of the Pilbara (WA), we have identified, within its tectonic framework, a crustal-scale plumbing system that channelled large volumes of mineralised hydrothermal solutions. Our objective is to understand the development of this plumbing system in relation to Archaean crustal geodynamics using a combination of structural geology, metamorphic petrology, geochronology, geochemistry, and the analysis of single-fluid inclusion using synchrotron and other X-ray sources.Read moreRead less
Argon thermochronometers and the effects of recrystallization. Rocks exhumed from high temperatures in continental settings contain a record of cooling in potassium-bearing minerals, known as thermochronometers, due to the quantitative retention of radiogenic argon below some characteristic closure temperature. However, thermochronometers may be affected by recrystallization processes occurring below such temperatures, and in some cases argon data record the timing of crystallization rather tha ....Argon thermochronometers and the effects of recrystallization. Rocks exhumed from high temperatures in continental settings contain a record of cooling in potassium-bearing minerals, known as thermochronometers, due to the quantitative retention of radiogenic argon below some characteristic closure temperature. However, thermochronometers may be affected by recrystallization processes occurring below such temperatures, and in some cases argon data record the timing of crystallization rather than cooling. Field, microstructural and isotopic analysis will be used to evaluate the effects of recrystallization on the muscovite and potassium-feldspar thermochronometers, particularly in fault zones. Understanding the effects of recrystallization on thermochronometers is critical for studies of the assembly of the continental crust.Read moreRead less
NUMERICAL MODELS OF PLATE TECTONICS, MANTLE CONVECTION AND SLAB DYNAMICS WITH EVOLVING FAULTS. We plan to develop a method for simulating large-scale
geological structures with a much improved treatment
of tectonic faults in 3D.
Current computer models have sharp geological faults at plate
boundaries represented by broad, blurred zones. New techniques
for modeling cracks in engineering structures will be scaled up to
the whole Earth.
This will help us to understand how the Earth's p ....NUMERICAL MODELS OF PLATE TECTONICS, MANTLE CONVECTION AND SLAB DYNAMICS WITH EVOLVING FAULTS. We plan to develop a method for simulating large-scale
geological structures with a much improved treatment
of tectonic faults in 3D.
Current computer models have sharp geological faults at plate
boundaries represented by broad, blurred zones. New techniques
for modeling cracks in engineering structures will be scaled up to
the whole Earth.
This will help us to understand how the Earth's plates move and
interact now and in the past and how the structure of the continents
arose.
Not only is this intrinsically interesting, it
will also be of immediate practical benefit to geological modelers.Read moreRead less
Tectonic Reconstruction of the Evolution of the Alpine-Himalayan Orogenic Chain. This project will construct a computationally explicit model of movements in the solid Earth for the past 150 million years, to study the Earth as a complex system during the collision that produced the Alpine-Himalayan mountain belt. This is the youngest collisional mountain belt on Earth, and at times it stretched from Spain to New Zealand. Earth Scientists want to understand the processes that took place to mak ....Tectonic Reconstruction of the Evolution of the Alpine-Himalayan Orogenic Chain. This project will construct a computationally explicit model of movements in the solid Earth for the past 150 million years, to study the Earth as a complex system during the collision that produced the Alpine-Himalayan mountain belt. This is the youngest collisional mountain belt on Earth, and at times it stretched from Spain to New Zealand. Earth Scientists want to understand the processes that took place to make it, in particular the role of ribbon continents. As a result of this work ordinary Australians will be able to better perceive their interactions with their nearest neighbours.Read moreRead less
From crust to core: probing the heterogeneity of the Earth with seismic arrays. Seismic array deployments will be used for a variety of studies including tomographic mapping of upper mantle structure, coda analysis for crustal properties and delineation of deeper Earth structure. The high resolution information on crustal and upper mantle structure will provide important detail on the building blocks of the Australian plate at depth. This class of information helps to refine our understanding o ....From crust to core: probing the heterogeneity of the Earth with seismic arrays. Seismic array deployments will be used for a variety of studies including tomographic mapping of upper mantle structure, coda analysis for crustal properties and delineation of deeper Earth structure. The high resolution information on crustal and upper mantle structure will provide important detail on the building blocks of the Australian plate at depth. This class of information helps to refine our understanding of the way that the Australian continent has been assembled with regard to the interaction of the crust and mantle and the emplacement of mineral resources.Read moreRead less
Integrated dynamic models of subduction initiation, slab evolution, arc - back-arc deformation and mantle convection. A major debate in plate tectonics concerns the driving mechanism for formation of extensional back-arc basins in the overriding plate along a convergent tectonic boundary, where a subducting plate is thrust into the mantle underneath an overriding plate. One hypothesis states that such extension results from sinking and rollback of the subducting plate. The physical validity of t ....Integrated dynamic models of subduction initiation, slab evolution, arc - back-arc deformation and mantle convection. A major debate in plate tectonics concerns the driving mechanism for formation of extensional back-arc basins in the overriding plate along a convergent tectonic boundary, where a subducting plate is thrust into the mantle underneath an overriding plate. One hypothesis states that such extension results from sinking and rollback of the subducting plate. The physical validity of this hypothesis will be tested using both laboratory and numerical modelling techniques. The modelling will investigate overriding plate - subducting plate - mantle interaction in three-dimensional space and quantify the role of key physical parameters on the subduction process.Read moreRead less
Constraining landform response to tectonic and climate changes in an active orogen: a multi-disciplinary approach. The aim of this project is to quantify the efficiency of coupling between tectonics, climate and erosion in an active mountain belt, the Southern Alps of New Zealand, by combining world-class expertise in a range of fields, including the collection and analysis of thermochronological data, the analysis of digital elevation maps, morphometric field measurements, and the development a ....Constraining landform response to tectonic and climate changes in an active orogen: a multi-disciplinary approach. The aim of this project is to quantify the efficiency of coupling between tectonics, climate and erosion in an active mountain belt, the Southern Alps of New Zealand, by combining world-class expertise in a range of fields, including the collection and analysis of thermochronological data, the analysis of digital elevation maps, morphometric field measurements, and the development and use of numerical models, both tectonic and geomorphic. In particular, it is proposed to develop and use unique quantitative methods to interpret thermochronological data. This work will help resolve the current debate concerning the potential feedback between climate and tectonics.Read moreRead less
How has the continental lithosphere evolved? Processes of assembly, growth, transformation and destruction. We will use new in-situ analytical techniques, developed In-house, to date the formation and modification of specific volumes of the subcontinental lithospheric mantle, and to define the temporal and genetic relationships between mantle events and crustal formation. Quantitative modelling will investigate the geodynamic consequences of spatial and temporal variations in lithosphere composi ....How has the continental lithosphere evolved? Processes of assembly, growth, transformation and destruction. We will use new in-situ analytical techniques, developed In-house, to date the formation and modification of specific volumes of the subcontinental lithospheric mantle, and to define the temporal and genetic relationships between mantle events and crustal formation. Quantitative modelling will investigate the geodynamic consequences of spatial and temporal variations in lithosphere composition and thermal state. Magmatic products will be used to assess the roles of mantle plumes and delamination in construction of the lithosphere and xenolith studies will investigate the evolution of oceanic plateaus. The results will provide a framework for interpreting the architecture of lithospheric terranes and their boundaries.Read moreRead less
A new approach to the U-series dating of fossil molluscs - a major advance for the earth and archaeological sciences. The development of a reliable method for accurately determining the age of fossil shells represents a breakthrough in the ability to date marine shoreline, lake, and other shell-bearing deposits (e.g. middens). This will present new opportunities for research of significant national benefit, particularly into the effects of climate change, including linked sea-level change and me ....A new approach to the U-series dating of fossil molluscs - a major advance for the earth and archaeological sciences. The development of a reliable method for accurately determining the age of fossil shells represents a breakthrough in the ability to date marine shoreline, lake, and other shell-bearing deposits (e.g. middens). This will present new opportunities for research of significant national benefit, particularly into the effects of climate change, including linked sea-level change and melting of ice sheets, the impact of sea-level change on coastal zones, and shifts in the amount and variability of rainfall in different regions. The method may also be used to estimate the frequency and size of large storm and tsunami events, earthquake risk, and the timing of prehistoric human migration and associated environmental impacts. Read moreRead less
CRATON EDGES AND SUTURES IN THE AUSTRALIAN MANTLE. A major seismic experiment using recording of distant earthquakes will be used to provide images of 3-D structure in the Earth's crust and mantle along the length of the edge of the Precambrian Australian Shield and across the suture between the South and North Australian cratons within the Shield. Seismic structures derived from different classes of geodynamic models will be compared with seismic results derived from a variety of styles of dat ....CRATON EDGES AND SUTURES IN THE AUSTRALIAN MANTLE. A major seismic experiment using recording of distant earthquakes will be used to provide images of 3-D structure in the Earth's crust and mantle along the length of the edge of the Precambrian Australian Shield and across the suture between the South and North Australian cratons within the Shield. Seismic structures derived from different classes of geodynamic models will be compared with seismic results derived from a variety of styles of data interpretation, including seismic tomography. The experiment will improve understanding of the range of physical processes associated with rifting and building of continents.Read moreRead less