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
Old brains, new data - early evolution of structural complexity in the vertebrate head. Of the all the complex structures biology has provided, the evolution of the vertebrate brain and its sensory organs is perhaps the most enigmatic. The fossil record occasionally provides a chance to trace this evolution, but only with the use of novel X-ray scanning techniques can these secrets be detailed in three dimensions. Exploiting the exceptional fossil record from Australia and China, this team will ....Old brains, new data - early evolution of structural complexity in the vertebrate head. Of the all the complex structures biology has provided, the evolution of the vertebrate brain and its sensory organs is perhaps the most enigmatic. The fossil record occasionally provides a chance to trace this evolution, but only with the use of novel X-ray scanning techniques can these secrets be detailed in three dimensions. Exploiting the exceptional fossil record from Australia and China, this team will for the first time collect a vast comparative data base which will yield clues on the early evolution of the ear, eye and brain. Read moreRead less
Microscale evolution of deformed rocks and glaciers. Scientific outcomes from this research have significant implications for predictions on material properties and are applicable to rock behaviour in mineralised systems, a focus of Australia's minerals industry, and the development of new materials for the Australian manufacturing industries. It will help maintain Australia's excellent international research reputation in the fields of microstructural geology and glaciology.
Cretaceous marine reptiles from the Eromanga Sea - a research project focussing on the fossils of Outback Queensland. The Eromanga Sea covered large tracts of north and central Australia between 140 and 95 million years ago. Major faunal components of this inland-sea were marine reptiles, such as plesiosaurs, ichthyosaurs and sea turtles. North Qld has extensive marine fossil deposits remaining to be systematically explored. Many world-significant specimens from these strata are housed in the Au ....Cretaceous marine reptiles from the Eromanga Sea - a research project focussing on the fossils of Outback Queensland. The Eromanga Sea covered large tracts of north and central Australia between 140 and 95 million years ago. Major faunal components of this inland-sea were marine reptiles, such as plesiosaurs, ichthyosaurs and sea turtles. North Qld has extensive marine fossil deposits remaining to be systematically explored. Many world-significant specimens from these strata are housed in the Australian, Queensland and Richmond Marine Fossil museums. This project intends to resolve fundamental questions concerning the evolution, environment, lifestyle and distribution of Cretaceous marine reptiles by improving their fossil record and analysing newly discovered Australian specimens, including the world's first plesiosaur embryo.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
Spreading ridge sedimentation processes: a novel approach using Macquarie Island as a natural laboratory. This research will examine the south eastern tectonic plate boundary of Australia, providing analogues for seafloor spreading related crustal processes that relate to present plate boundaries and ancient examples now joined to the Australian continent. The scientific innovation represented by this project will help Australian scientists to better understand an important part of the plate tec ....Spreading ridge sedimentation processes: a novel approach using Macquarie Island as a natural laboratory. This research will examine the south eastern tectonic plate boundary of Australia, providing analogues for seafloor spreading related crustal processes that relate to present plate boundaries and ancient examples now joined to the Australian continent. The scientific innovation represented by this project will help Australian scientists to better understand an important part of the plate tectonic cycle. This project will be of direct relevance to the Australian minerals exploration industry and will provide better constraints on rift-related metallogenesis.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
Life and times of Beringian biota from luminescence and radiocarbon dating of sedimentary DNA: chronologies for palaeoenvironmental and archaeological archives. This study will yield important new data on the time of entry of humans into a previously uninhabited continent (North America) and the record of subsequent human-environment interactions. The same broad issues apply to Australia, so understanding the sequence and causes of events in Beringia will provide insights into human disruption o ....Life and times of Beringian biota from luminescence and radiocarbon dating of sedimentary DNA: chronologies for palaeoenvironmental and archaeological archives. This study will yield important new data on the time of entry of humans into a previously uninhabited continent (North America) and the record of subsequent human-environment interactions. The same broad issues apply to Australia, so understanding the sequence and causes of events in Beringia will provide insights into human disruption of the Australian ecosystem. The development of improved techniques in palaeogenetics and geochronology will benefit researchers worldwide, increase the capacity for commercial services, and enhance Australia's international standing in cutting edge science. We will train high-quality graduate students and create new collaborative initiatives and opportunities for research, exchange, training and education.Read moreRead less
Crustal Growth in the Northern Tasmanides. The Australian and Queensland governments have invested over $3 million to undertake deep crustal seismic imaging in northern Queensland, providing an extensive new geophysical dataset capable of modelling crustal architecture and geological evolution to unprecedented levels. However, such models will remain untested unless the data is groundtruthed by analysis of rocks at the surface, providing a geological framework for extrapolation into the deep Ea ....Crustal Growth in the Northern Tasmanides. The Australian and Queensland governments have invested over $3 million to undertake deep crustal seismic imaging in northern Queensland, providing an extensive new geophysical dataset capable of modelling crustal architecture and geological evolution to unprecedented levels. However, such models will remain untested unless the data is groundtruthed by analysis of rocks at the surface, providing a geological framework for extrapolation into the deep Earth. The framework critically describes when and how crustal blocks were assembled, and the integrated information will generate evolutionary 3D models that will substantially improve mineral exploration targeting in the region.Read moreRead less
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