Revisiting The Alpine Paradigm: The Role Of Inversion Cycles In The Evolution Of The European Alps. This project aims to evaluate a new theory that suggests mountain belts are repeatedly built and then destroyed, taking advantage of the youthful and classic natural laboratory offered by the European Alps. We will use geochronology, structural geology and metamorphic petrology to track individual rocks through time and space, and compare the results with predictions made by computer simulations. ....Revisiting The Alpine Paradigm: The Role Of Inversion Cycles In The Evolution Of The European Alps. This project aims to evaluate a new theory that suggests mountain belts are repeatedly built and then destroyed, taking advantage of the youthful and classic natural laboratory offered by the European Alps. We will use geochronology, structural geology and metamorphic petrology to track individual rocks through time and space, and compare the results with predictions made by computer simulations. The initiation of these episodes of immense destruction in mountain belts occurs at the same time as the creation of deep Earth resources. This project will, as its main outcome, provide the foundation for future theoretical understanding of these remarkable coincidences.Read moreRead less
How responsive are continental interiors to the geodynamic evolution of plate margins? An Australian case study. The outcomes of this project will advance our understanding of the evolution and dynamics of the Australian plate by improving knowledge of the way plate driving forces shaped the continental interior. This will lead to a refinement of existing geological models describing the history of the Australian continent, and will provide a valuable backdrop for the current focus on the cont ....How responsive are continental interiors to the geodynamic evolution of plate margins? An Australian case study. The outcomes of this project will advance our understanding of the evolution and dynamics of the Australian plate by improving knowledge of the way plate driving forces shaped the continental interior. This will lead to a refinement of existing geological models describing the history of the Australian continent, and will provide a valuable backdrop for the current focus on the contemporary state of the Australian plate. The study will also provide a framework for petroleum exploration models in the central Australian basins, since they rely crucially on the thermal and structural datasets that will be produced in this project.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0237490
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$715,000.00
Summary
X-ray mapping and trace element electron probe microanalysis. The new advances offered by the acquisition of a state-of-the-art electron microprobe will provide multiple high-precision chemical and mineralogical data sets that will represent a breakthrough in our capacity to recognise scientifically important compositional micro-scale variations in geological, archaeological, biological and manufacured (metallurgical) materials.
Tectonic paradox of the E margin of the Australian plate, 120 - 45 Ma. Available geological evidence indicates that massive extension of continental crust occurred from 120-45 million years ago at the eastern margin of the Australian plate. In contrast, global plate movement models indicate that there was convergence between the Pacific and Australian plates, implying subduction and island arc magmatism. We propose a marine research expedition to dredge rocks from scarps of the submarine ridges ....Tectonic paradox of the E margin of the Australian plate, 120 - 45 Ma. Available geological evidence indicates that massive extension of continental crust occurred from 120-45 million years ago at the eastern margin of the Australian plate. In contrast, global plate movement models indicate that there was convergence between the Pacific and Australian plates, implying subduction and island arc magmatism. We propose a marine research expedition to dredge rocks from scarps of the submarine ridges east of Australia. Geochemical signatures and dating of the dredged rocks should elucidate the geological evolution of this region, improve our understanding of eastern Australian geology, and better define Australia's Maritime Jurisdiction Zone along the eastern seaboard.Read moreRead less
The ins and outs of a Proterozoic supercontinent - what is the significance of 990-900 Ma orogenesis for the assembly of Rodinia? The hypothesis that all of Earth's continents came together one billion years ago to form a supercontinent known as Rodinia has invigorated debate about ancient continental distributions. Current models depict a flawed configuration for Rodinia, since they assume that continental fragments preserving evidence for quite different episodes of tectonic activity between ....The ins and outs of a Proterozoic supercontinent - what is the significance of 990-900 Ma orogenesis for the assembly of Rodinia? The hypothesis that all of Earth's continents came together one billion years ago to form a supercontinent known as Rodinia has invigorated debate about ancient continental distributions. Current models depict a flawed configuration for Rodinia, since they assume that continental fragments preserving evidence for quite different episodes of tectonic activity between 1350 and 900 million years ago developed at the same time. This project will make new correlations based upon careful observation and precise isotopic dating of rocks in Antarctica and Mexico, and will use these data to develop a more realistic picture of the ancient Earth.Read moreRead less
Mineral reaction, deformation, and accessory phases in migmatites: What controls monazite behaviour during high-grade metamorphism? Isotopic dating of rocks and minerals has revolutionized the way we view our planet, and allowed us to attach an absolute timescale to a range of Earth processes from the evolution of life to formation of mineral deposits. Australian technology has long been at the forefront of this field, but it is apparent that our ability to date Earth materials has overtaken our ....Mineral reaction, deformation, and accessory phases in migmatites: What controls monazite behaviour during high-grade metamorphism? Isotopic dating of rocks and minerals has revolutionized the way we view our planet, and allowed us to attach an absolute timescale to a range of Earth processes from the evolution of life to formation of mineral deposits. Australian technology has long been at the forefront of this field, but it is apparent that our ability to date Earth materials has overtaken our ability to interpret these ages in terms of geologic processes. The results of this study and the associated collaboration will ensure that Australian understanding of what isotopic ages mean keeps pace with our ability to measure them. This will allow us to resolve finer details of Earth history, and improve our understanding of the planet and how best to manage it.Read moreRead less
MACQUARIE ISLAND: A UNIQUE WINDOW INTO THE OCEAN BASEMENT AND THE LINK BETWEEN OCEAN RIDGES AND OPHIOLITES. Knowledge about the composition and structure of the oceanic crust is limited due to the inaccessibility of the deep-ocean floor. Macquarie Island is the only fragment of ocean crust and mantle exposed above sea-level in the world, providing a unique opportunity to study processes of oceanic floor generation in-situ. Our project will carry out detailed mapping of the lower crust and mantle ....MACQUARIE ISLAND: A UNIQUE WINDOW INTO THE OCEAN BASEMENT AND THE LINK BETWEEN OCEAN RIDGES AND OPHIOLITES. Knowledge about the composition and structure of the oceanic crust is limited due to the inaccessibility of the deep-ocean floor. Macquarie Island is the only fragment of ocean crust and mantle exposed above sea-level in the world, providing a unique opportunity to study processes of oceanic floor generation in-situ. Our project will carry out detailed mapping of the lower crust and mantle sections on the island, followed by an integrated microstructural, petrological, and geochronological analysis of samples. Such investigations may lead to fundamental advances in the understanding of formation, deformation, and emplacement of oceanic crust at mid-ocean ridge spreading centres.Read moreRead less
Thermal regimes, flexure and duration: establishing the framework for intracratonic orogeny in central Australia. Intracratonic orogeny is a confronting phenomena because it contradicts the plate tectonic paradigm, which highlights the apparently rigidity of the lithospheric plates. Central Australia contains an exceptional record of intracratonic orogeny, expressed by the formation of the Petermann and Alice Springs orogens. This project will quantify the duration, and thermal conditions assoc ....Thermal regimes, flexure and duration: establishing the framework for intracratonic orogeny in central Australia. Intracratonic orogeny is a confronting phenomena because it contradicts the plate tectonic paradigm, which highlights the apparently rigidity of the lithospheric plates. Central Australia contains an exceptional record of intracratonic orogeny, expressed by the formation of the Petermann and Alice Springs orogens. This project will quantify the duration, and thermal conditions associated with the comparatively poorly known Petermann Orogen. Given the importance of intracratonic deformation in shaping the lithospheric architecture of central Australia, understanding the history of the Petermann Orogeny is essential to developing models that describe the evolution of the Australian continent, and continental interiors in general.Read moreRead less
Tectonic links between the Musgrave Province and the North Australian Craton: correlations, event chronology, and tectonothermal regimes. Developing effective mineral exploration strategies relies on data-rich tectonic models that seek to explain the full history of a terrain. In the Australian context the tectonic evolution of the Musgrave Province is a key focus of the minerals industry due to its widely recognised potential for base-metal mineralisation. This project will develop tectonic mod ....Tectonic links between the Musgrave Province and the North Australian Craton: correlations, event chronology, and tectonothermal regimes. Developing effective mineral exploration strategies relies on data-rich tectonic models that seek to explain the full history of a terrain. In the Australian context the tectonic evolution of the Musgrave Province is a key focus of the minerals industry due to its widely recognised potential for base-metal mineralisation. This project will develop tectonic models that encompass the evolution of the Musgrave Province and the adjacent North Australia Craton. The outcomes of the project will reduce risk to mineral explorers and make an important contribution to the broader question Australia's Proterozoic evolution.Read moreRead less
The time scales of geochemical cycles and earth processes. Precise information on timescales and rates of change is fundamental to understanding natural processes and the development and testing of quantitative physical models in the Earth Sciences. Uranium decay-series isotope studies are revolutionising this field by providing time information in the range 10^2-10^4 years, similar to that of many important Earth processes. This project will establish a world-class Australian Uranium-series res ....The time scales of geochemical cycles and earth processes. Precise information on timescales and rates of change is fundamental to understanding natural processes and the development and testing of quantitative physical models in the Earth Sciences. Uranium decay-series isotope studies are revolutionising this field by providing time information in the range 10^2-10^4 years, similar to that of many important Earth processes. This project will establish a world-class Australian Uranium-series research group to investigate the processes of magma formation and transport, continental growth, rates of erosion and recycling. These methodologies can also constrain processes governing water flow and reservoirs, mineral resources, volcanic eruptions, carbon cycles and other environmentally important processes/systems/cycles.Read moreRead less