Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE210101395
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$447,627.00
Summary
Linking continental emergence and climatic evolution on the Early Earth. This project will use a range of innovative geochemical techniques to constrain the timing and extent to which the continents were emergent (above sea-level) throughout Earth’s history and its impact on climatic evolution. Continental emergence was pivotal to the development of our habitable planet, as it controlled the influx of bioessential elements, like phosphorus, to the oceans. Expected outcomes include a detailed rec ....Linking continental emergence and climatic evolution on the Early Earth. This project will use a range of innovative geochemical techniques to constrain the timing and extent to which the continents were emergent (above sea-level) throughout Earth’s history and its impact on climatic evolution. Continental emergence was pivotal to the development of our habitable planet, as it controlled the influx of bioessential elements, like phosphorus, to the oceans. Expected outcomes include a detailed record of changes in ocean chemistry, and a time integrated model for the emergence of continents on the early Earth. Documenting the impact of changes in the solid Earth on evolution is not only of interest to society in general, but also contributes to understanding the formation of Australia’s vast iron ore deposits.Read moreRead less
Unlocking Earth’s inner secrets in deep time using palaeointensities. The geomagnetic field, generated in Earth's liquid outer core, provides Earth's biosphere and atmosphere with a critical protective shield from the bombardment of the solar wind. However, we still know little about the evolution of the geomagnetic field or the deep-time secrets it keeps. This project aims to study the varying intensity of the geomagnetic field during Earth’s middle life. The results will help decipher how the ....Unlocking Earth’s inner secrets in deep time using palaeointensities. The geomagnetic field, generated in Earth's liquid outer core, provides Earth's biosphere and atmosphere with a critical protective shield from the bombardment of the solar wind. However, we still know little about the evolution of the geomagnetic field or the deep-time secrets it keeps. This project aims to study the varying intensity of the geomagnetic field during Earth’s middle life. The results will help decipher how the Earth’s core responded to evolving tectonic and dynamic systems, including the supercontinent cycles, and when Earth’s solid inner core initiated. Such knowledge will help us to better understand how the Earth System evolved as a whole, and how such an evolution has led to the present day life and environment on Earth.Read moreRead less
Australian Laureate Fellowships - Grant ID: FL150100133
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,917,436.00
Summary
How the Earth works - toward building a new tectonic paradigm. How the Earth works - toward building a new tectonic paradigm: This fellowship project aims to build on the latest technological and conceptual advances to establish the patterns of Earth evolution, and use this information to examine a ground-breaking geodynamic hypothesis which links cyclic plate aggregation and dispersion to deep Earth processes. Half a century after the inception of plate tectonics theory, we are still unsure how ....How the Earth works - toward building a new tectonic paradigm. How the Earth works - toward building a new tectonic paradigm: This fellowship project aims to build on the latest technological and conceptual advances to establish the patterns of Earth evolution, and use this information to examine a ground-breaking geodynamic hypothesis which links cyclic plate aggregation and dispersion to deep Earth processes. Half a century after the inception of plate tectonics theory, we are still unsure how the Earth 'engine' works, particularly the forces that drive plate tectonics. The project involves extensive national and international collaboration to potentially create a paradigm shift in our understanding of global tectonics, and hopes to contribute to an understanding of the formation and distribution of Earth resources to provide a conceptual framework for their exploration.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE200101361
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$403,866.00
Summary
The Australian tectonic stress state: Far-field forces and local impacts. This project aims to investigate the present-day tectonic stress field of Australia using detailed analysis of stress magnitude data and state-of-the-art 3D geomechanical-numerical modelling across spatial scales. Tectonic stresses control the Earth’s deformation and are a primary cause of collapse of subsurface structures. This project expects to improve our knowledge of the causes of the tectonic stress field of Australi ....The Australian tectonic stress state: Far-field forces and local impacts. This project aims to investigate the present-day tectonic stress field of Australia using detailed analysis of stress magnitude data and state-of-the-art 3D geomechanical-numerical modelling across spatial scales. Tectonic stresses control the Earth’s deformation and are a primary cause of collapse of subsurface structures. This project expects to improve our knowledge of the causes of the tectonic stress field of Australia and its consequences for earthquake risk assessment, safe and sustainable usage of underground environments for groundwater exploration and production, CO2 sequestration, waste disposal, mine stability, exploration and production of hydrocarbon and geothermal resources.Read moreRead less
Jurassic arc? Reconstructing the lost world of Eastern Australia. This project aims to resolve a long-standing enigma about the geological formation of the Great Artesian Basin – Australia’s most important onshore reservoir for groundwater and hydrocarbon resources. Specifically, the project will integrate sedimentological and geochemical studies to investigate the geodynamic configuration of Eastern Australia during the Jurassic Period of basin formation. The intended outcomes are an improved u ....Jurassic arc? Reconstructing the lost world of Eastern Australia. This project aims to resolve a long-standing enigma about the geological formation of the Great Artesian Basin – Australia’s most important onshore reservoir for groundwater and hydrocarbon resources. Specifically, the project will integrate sedimentological and geochemical studies to investigate the geodynamic configuration of Eastern Australia during the Jurassic Period of basin formation. The intended outcomes are an improved understanding of the evolution of the Australian continent and better knowledge of the formation of intercontinental sedimentary basins, which includes better assessment of their potential to contain hydrocarbon resources.Read moreRead less
Add mountains and shake: plate boundary fault and earthquake patterns. This project aims to determine the fundamental physical processes that link topography, seismic shaking and volcanism to the evolution of seismogenic fault networks in obliquely convergent (transpressional) plate boundary settings. We will combine detailed field and remote sensing-based structural analyses in transpressional mountain belts with advanced laboratory analogue and numerical experiments to evaluate: 1) how bursts ....Add mountains and shake: plate boundary fault and earthquake patterns. This project aims to determine the fundamental physical processes that link topography, seismic shaking and volcanism to the evolution of seismogenic fault networks in obliquely convergent (transpressional) plate boundary settings. We will combine detailed field and remote sensing-based structural analyses in transpressional mountain belts with advanced laboratory analogue and numerical experiments to evaluate: 1) how bursts of strong seismic shaking perturb fault zone evolution through time; 2) the contribution of topography and gravitation loading to fault interactions and earthquake generation; and 3) feedbacks between fault network development, the spatial distribution of volcanic centres, seismic shaking and ore deposits.Read moreRead less
Magmatic response to slab deformation and implications to ore formation. The uneven distribution of ore deposits in magmatic arcs is poorly understood. This project aims to provide new strategies for more effective mineral targeting by testing the hypothesis that anomalous magmatism enriched in metals reflects particular styles of deformation, such as tears in subducting slabs. We will use geophysical modelling to constrain slab structure along the northern boundary of the Australian plate, and ....Magmatic response to slab deformation and implications to ore formation. The uneven distribution of ore deposits in magmatic arcs is poorly understood. This project aims to provide new strategies for more effective mineral targeting by testing the hypothesis that anomalous magmatism enriched in metals reflects particular styles of deformation, such as tears in subducting slabs. We will use geophysical modelling to constrain slab structure along the northern boundary of the Australian plate, and geochemical data to establish spatio-temporal links with anomalous magmatism and ore deposits. By identifying the geochemical fingerprint of tear-related magmatism, outcomes are expected to benefit geoscience research and mineral exploration by providing context to similar rock associations in mineral-rich provinces.Read moreRead less
Diamonds in ophiolite: recycling deep mantle into supra-subduction zones. This project aims to investigate whether the discovery of diamonds in oceanic rocks, known as ophiolites, is a global phenomenon. Even half a century after the introduction of plate tectonic theory, significant knowledge gaps remain regarding the fate of subducted lithosphere and Earth processes deep within the mantle. This project will use Australasian examples to test the hypothesis that diamonds are ubiquitous in the ma ....Diamonds in ophiolite: recycling deep mantle into supra-subduction zones. This project aims to investigate whether the discovery of diamonds in oceanic rocks, known as ophiolites, is a global phenomenon. Even half a century after the introduction of plate tectonic theory, significant knowledge gaps remain regarding the fate of subducted lithosphere and Earth processes deep within the mantle. This project will use Australasian examples to test the hypothesis that diamonds are ubiquitous in the mantle and occur widely in ophiolites. Results will have major implications for our understanding of how ocean crust grows and how rocks in the upper mantle form, as well as providing insight into how organic carbon is cycled from the seabed deep into the mantle before being returned back to Earth's surface.Read moreRead less