A multidisciplinary study of the Karoo Basin: chronology of a mass extinction, configuration of a supercontinent. Development plans for Australia's North-West (NW) shelf will expand the existing supply of natural gas and help manage greenhouse gas emissions through an innovative carbon sequestration project. A better understanding of well-exposed geology of the Karoo Basin will help evaluate the submarine deposits of Australia's NW shelf, essential for both improving yield from the new Gorgon ga ....A multidisciplinary study of the Karoo Basin: chronology of a mass extinction, configuration of a supercontinent. Development plans for Australia's North-West (NW) shelf will expand the existing supply of natural gas and help manage greenhouse gas emissions through an innovative carbon sequestration project. A better understanding of well-exposed geology of the Karoo Basin will help evaluate the submarine deposits of Australia's NW shelf, essential for both improving yield from the new Gorgon gas fields and understanding subterranean reservoir capabilities for carbon dioxide injection This study will also improve our scientific understanding of the timing and mechanisms of the end-Paleozoic mass extinction, the most significant event in the history of life on Earth.Read moreRead less
Tectonic evolution and lode gold mineralisation in the Southern Cross district, Yilgarn Craton (Western Australia): a study of the meso- to Neoarchaean missing link. In the December quarter 2008, Gold export earnings increased by 2 per cent to $3.9 billion. Over the past 20 years and despite an increase in exploration expenditure to around $50 million per year, the discovery rates have been declining. Although the easy targets have been found, there remains considerable potential for future ma ....Tectonic evolution and lode gold mineralisation in the Southern Cross district, Yilgarn Craton (Western Australia): a study of the meso- to Neoarchaean missing link. In the December quarter 2008, Gold export earnings increased by 2 per cent to $3.9 billion. Over the past 20 years and despite an increase in exploration expenditure to around $50 million per year, the discovery rates have been declining. Although the easy targets have been found, there remains considerable potential for future major discoveries. This project addresses the pressing need for new data and improved exploration techniques to enable industry to target new discoveries. As the Southern Cross district is located in remote communities such discoveries also have major benefits for regional Australia.Read moreRead less
LATE PALAEOZOIC PALAEOGEOGRAPHY OF CENTRAL ASIA: A PALAEOBIOGEOGRAPHICAL APPROACH USING IMPROVED BIOSTRATIGRAPHY. Fossil data from Central Asia (Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, NW China, Mongolia, Altaids) indicate significant degree of palaeo-latitudinal variation in biogeographical patterns across the Palaeo-Tethys and its flanking shelves during Late Palaeozoic, but details of these patterns and implications for enhancing contemporaneous palaeogeographical models are virtually unknown. Thi ....LATE PALAEOZOIC PALAEOGEOGRAPHY OF CENTRAL ASIA: A PALAEOBIOGEOGRAPHICAL APPROACH USING IMPROVED BIOSTRATIGRAPHY. Fossil data from Central Asia (Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, NW China, Mongolia, Altaids) indicate significant degree of palaeo-latitudinal variation in biogeographical patterns across the Palaeo-Tethys and its flanking shelves during Late Palaeozoic, but details of these patterns and implications for enhancing contemporaneous palaeogeographical models are virtually unknown. This project will analyse the biogeographical patterns of Late Palaeozoic brachiopod, coral, fusulinid faunas using advanced statistical methods, and integrate biogeographical signals with palaeomagnetic data to constrain models for the Late Palaeozoic geological evolution of Central Asia-a vast region that is known to bear enormous potential for natural resources but remains geologically little explored.Read moreRead less
Low-grade metamorphic phosphate geochronology: High-precision dating of ancient crustal fluid flow, hydrothermal mineralisation and the "Great Oxidation Event". Reliable dating techniques are required to obtain precise ages for ancient crustal fluid flow. Current techniques suffer from inheritance and isotopic resetting, problems that are particularly pronounced in early Precambrian rocks. This project will employ new analytical techniques to date phosphate minerals recently identified as potent ....Low-grade metamorphic phosphate geochronology: High-precision dating of ancient crustal fluid flow, hydrothermal mineralisation and the "Great Oxidation Event". Reliable dating techniques are required to obtain precise ages for ancient crustal fluid flow. Current techniques suffer from inheritance and isotopic resetting, problems that are particularly pronounced in early Precambrian rocks. This project will employ new analytical techniques to date phosphate minerals recently identified as potentially important new chronometers of ancient fluid flow, providing the first precise tectonothermal history of the Archaean Pilbara Craton. The project will also establish the age of giant iron-ore deposits across the Hamersley Province, test the various models for iron-ore formation, and provide a minimum age for the oxidation of the Earth's surface. Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0346878
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$190,000.00
Summary
GeoWulf: An Inference Engine for Complex Earth Systems. The project is to build a `Beowulf' cluster as a platform for solving
complex data inference problems in the Earth sciences, and in
particular the fields of thermochronology, seismology, crustal and
mantle dynamics, and landform evolution. A Beowulf cluster is a
network-linked set of commonly available `off-the-shelf' PC-computers
configured to give unprecedented performance/cost ratio. Projects
using the Beowulf facility will combine ....GeoWulf: An Inference Engine for Complex Earth Systems. The project is to build a `Beowulf' cluster as a platform for solving
complex data inference problems in the Earth sciences, and in
particular the fields of thermochronology, seismology, crustal and
mantle dynamics, and landform evolution. A Beowulf cluster is a
network-linked set of commonly available `off-the-shelf' PC-computers
configured to give unprecedented performance/cost ratio. Projects
using the Beowulf facility will combine state-of-the-art computational
techniques recently developed at ANU, and high quality data sets
collected over the past decade to address fundamental questions in
the Geosciences.Read moreRead less
Biogeochemical characterisation of Archaean microfossils, biomarkers and organic matter: Probing the nature and diversity of early life on Earth. Recognizing biological signatures in ancient rocks poses the single greatest challenge to our understanding of the origin and evolution of life. This Project will use new advanced technology to reveal when and where life first appeared and assess its impact on the environment, atmosphere and climate. Results are essential for understanding the transfor ....Biogeochemical characterisation of Archaean microfossils, biomarkers and organic matter: Probing the nature and diversity of early life on Earth. Recognizing biological signatures in ancient rocks poses the single greatest challenge to our understanding of the origin and evolution of life. This Project will use new advanced technology to reveal when and where life first appeared and assess its impact on the environment, atmosphere and climate. Results are essential for understanding the transformation of our planet into a suitable habitat for humankind. The work will place Australia among world leaders in one of the most exciting topics of current scientific research, raising Australia's reputation in this high profile and competitive field. The Project tackles profound questions and seeks to attract, inspire and train future scientists in an ideal location and research environment.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0668377
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$246,000.00
Summary
Western Australia Palaeomagnetic and Rock-magnetic Facility. The WA Palaeomagnetic and Rock-magnetic Facility is an essential piece of infrastructure for geoscience developments in WA and Australia in general. It not only serves the needs of the scientific community, but also supports resource-related projects sponsored by government and the resource industries, and serves the educational needs of postgraduate, undergraduate, and school students. Upgrading of the WA facility will enhance the res ....Western Australia Palaeomagnetic and Rock-magnetic Facility. The WA Palaeomagnetic and Rock-magnetic Facility is an essential piece of infrastructure for geoscience developments in WA and Australia in general. It not only serves the needs of the scientific community, but also supports resource-related projects sponsored by government and the resource industries, and serves the educational needs of postgraduate, undergraduate, and school students. Upgrading of the WA facility will enhance the research capacity of the WA geoscience community and maintain its international position in tectonic, palaeogeographic, and palaeoclimatic studies, and in ore genesis research.Read moreRead less
Evolution of a two billion year subduction zone: Insights from the integration of microstructure and geochronology. The dynamic evolution of the earth is fundamentally linked to its thermal history. Since, the internal heat production of the earth has changed over time, plate tectonic processes may also have changed over earth history. The manner and timing of this change is highly controversial. We aim to address the nature of tectonic processes 2 billion years ago by studying one of the wor ....Evolution of a two billion year subduction zone: Insights from the integration of microstructure and geochronology. The dynamic evolution of the earth is fundamentally linked to its thermal history. Since, the internal heat production of the earth has changed over time, plate tectonic processes may also have changed over earth history. The manner and timing of this change is highly controversial. We aim to address the nature of tectonic processes 2 billion years ago by studying one of the world's oldest subduction zones (the Usagarian belt in Tanzania). The geometry, kinematics and deformation history of the subduction complex will be integrated with radiometric age dating to quantify the style and rates of ancient tectonic processes.Read moreRead less
Learning to predict polymorphism through simulation of nucleation and nanoparticle evolution. Many substances are capable of exhibiting a myriad of different structures despite having the same composition. This behaviour can have a significant impact on the production of new pharmaceuticals, since the sudden appearance of a new form can lead to instant withdrawal of the drug. By understanding how different forms grow, rather than focusing on just the stability of the product, this research will ....Learning to predict polymorphism through simulation of nucleation and nanoparticle evolution. Many substances are capable of exhibiting a myriad of different structures despite having the same composition. This behaviour can have a significant impact on the production of new pharmaceuticals, since the sudden appearance of a new form can lead to instant withdrawal of the drug. By understanding how different forms grow, rather than focusing on just the stability of the product, this research will lead to more reliable prediction of how pharmaceutical molecules might assemble. The same technology will potentially have impacts in many areas of nanoscience through improvements in efficiency, including the production of minerals, desalination and undersea gas recovery.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE100100064
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$450,000.00
Summary
A facility for sensitive and precise isotopic dating of the earth's and extraterrestrial rocks. SPIDE2R will be a new generation mass spectrometer for very precise and sensitive dating and forensics applications in earth and planetary sciences, hydrology, climate studies, and nuclear and archaeological fingerprinting. The unprecedented sensitivity of this unique instrument will provide enhanced capabilities for solving long-standing problems requiring precise geological time resolution, as well ....A facility for sensitive and precise isotopic dating of the earth's and extraterrestrial rocks. SPIDE2R will be a new generation mass spectrometer for very precise and sensitive dating and forensics applications in earth and planetary sciences, hydrology, climate studies, and nuclear and archaeological fingerprinting. The unprecedented sensitivity of this unique instrument will provide enhanced capabilities for solving long-standing problems requiring precise geological time resolution, as well as opening new areas of research. It will be the instrument of choice for analysing small, rare samples such as those returned by space missions. The Australian-built high sensitivity source and ion detection systems can be retrofitted onto other mass spectrometers, opening a new area of commercialisation.Read moreRead less