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
An experimental study of trace element equilibria during metamorphism. The analytical methods and experimental data to be developed will enable an Australian team to become world leaders in determining pressures and temperatures of mineral growth that correspond to a range of depths and temperature gradients in the Earth tha t is wider than accessible previously. Obtaining this information from small zones within single grains will allow determination of rates of change, and give us a detailed p ....An experimental study of trace element equilibria during metamorphism. The analytical methods and experimental data to be developed will enable an Australian team to become world leaders in determining pressures and temperatures of mineral growth that correspond to a range of depths and temperature gradients in the Earth tha t is wider than accessible previously. Obtaining this information from small zones within single grains will allow determination of rates of change, and give us a detailed picture of how the host rock has evolved, even from very small samples. One application would be checking the origin of relatively common minerals for whether they could be associated with diamonds.Read moreRead less
Water storage in the earth's mantle - understanding the process of OH incorporation in olivine. The amount of water in the Earth's mantle is thought to be sufficient to replace the surface oceans more than ten times. Whether this water exists in a fluid, melt, or mineral is important for understanding a range of mantle properties. The entire upper mantle water budget may be accommodated at defect sites in the mineral olivine. However, defects found in natural olivine do not correspond to thos ....Water storage in the earth's mantle - understanding the process of OH incorporation in olivine. The amount of water in the Earth's mantle is thought to be sufficient to replace the surface oceans more than ten times. Whether this water exists in a fluid, melt, or mineral is important for understanding a range of mantle properties. The entire upper mantle water budget may be accommodated at defect sites in the mineral olivine. However, defects found in natural olivine do not correspond to those produced
experimentally. Therefore, previous conclusions on water storage in the mantle are questionable. To address this problem the mechanism of water incorporation in olivine will be investigated using experimental petrology and spectroscopy.Read moreRead less
Mineral Physics of the Earth's Core. Most information on the nature of Earth's core properties has come from teleseismic studies, which detect weak earthquake-wave signals that have traversed the Earth's deepest interior. These studies have revealed several unusual and enigmatic phenomena in the core, but interpretation of these observations must rely on mineral-physics data on the materials of the core (e.g. iron-based alloys). This project will create a unique world-class ultra-high pressure l ....Mineral Physics of the Earth's Core. Most information on the nature of Earth's core properties has come from teleseismic studies, which detect weak earthquake-wave signals that have traversed the Earth's deepest interior. These studies have revealed several unusual and enigmatic phenomena in the core, but interpretation of these observations must rely on mineral-physics data on the materials of the core (e.g. iron-based alloys). This project will create a unique world-class ultra-high pressure laboratory to obtain such data. By defining the composition and mineralogy of Earth's core, it will place Australia in the forefront of this exciting research field, and will also represent a major national resource for the study of novel materials at extreme conditions.Read moreRead less
Advancing diamond exploration - novel techniques for the interpretation of indicator minerals. Diamond production is an important industry in Australia, with a total export value in 2004-05 of $650 million. Most of this production comes from the Argyle Mine in Western Australia, which may be nearing the end of its productivity. Therefore, there is a need to reinvigorate exploration for diamond in Australia, in order for new and significant deposits to be discovered. The outcomes of this proposal ....Advancing diamond exploration - novel techniques for the interpretation of indicator minerals. Diamond production is an important industry in Australia, with a total export value in 2004-05 of $650 million. Most of this production comes from the Argyle Mine in Western Australia, which may be nearing the end of its productivity. Therefore, there is a need to reinvigorate exploration for diamond in Australia, in order for new and significant deposits to be discovered. The outcomes of this proposal will provide diamond exploration companies with improved mineralogical tools to assess the likely diamond grade of parts of the lithosphere sampled by kimberlite or lamproite magmas, thus better directing exploration strategies.Read moreRead less
Resistivity of typical rocks at crustal pressure and temperature conditions from combined laboratory and magnetotelluric measurements. Magnetotelluric surveys are playing an increasing role in Australian geoscience, including academic research, data collected by geological surveys (including a role in Geoscience Australia's $58.9 million Onshore Energy and Security Program), mineral exploration and geothermal exploration. This project will enable the results of these surveys to be interpreted mo ....Resistivity of typical rocks at crustal pressure and temperature conditions from combined laboratory and magnetotelluric measurements. Magnetotelluric surveys are playing an increasing role in Australian geoscience, including academic research, data collected by geological surveys (including a role in Geoscience Australia's $58.9 million Onshore Energy and Security Program), mineral exploration and geothermal exploration. This project will enable the results of these surveys to be interpreted more accurately and meaningfully by constraining the expected resistivities of crustal rocks at various pressures and temperatures. This research is vital if the investment currently being put into MT surveys is to be capitalized upon. Read moreRead less
The role of melting of oceanic crust within the subduction factory: A melt inclusion approach. Continental crust is ultimately generated in subduction zones, where oceanic crust is recycled back into the mantle along deep ocean trenches, producing island arcs. Processes occurring in the subduction 'factory' are poorly understood, but dehydration of old subducted oceanic crust is usually invoked to provide water that triggers mantle melting and arc magmatism. Evidence is accumulating that in many ....The role of melting of oceanic crust within the subduction factory: A melt inclusion approach. Continental crust is ultimately generated in subduction zones, where oceanic crust is recycled back into the mantle along deep ocean trenches, producing island arcs. Processes occurring in the subduction 'factory' are poorly understood, but dehydration of old subducted oceanic crust is usually invoked to provide water that triggers mantle melting and arc magmatism. Evidence is accumulating that in many locations the subducted oceanic crust may melt, rather than simply dehydrate. I will test this using studies of melt inclusions (droplets of melt trapped by crystals growing in the magma), and will better constrain the input-output budgets of the subduction factory.Read moreRead less
Experimental constraints on Platinum-Group Element geochemistry: developing lithogeochemical exploration tools for nickel-sulfides in mafic and ultramafic systems. Nickel contributes approximately $2 billion per year to Australia's export income. Currently 80% of that is coming from sulfide deposits, which are expected to be exhausted within thirty years barring significant new discoveries. Discovery rates have been declining for two decades, as the 'easy' targets have been found, despite a broa ....Experimental constraints on Platinum-Group Element geochemistry: developing lithogeochemical exploration tools for nickel-sulfides in mafic and ultramafic systems. Nickel contributes approximately $2 billion per year to Australia's export income. Currently 80% of that is coming from sulfide deposits, which are expected to be exhausted within thirty years barring significant new discoveries. Discovery rates have been declining for two decades, as the 'easy' targets have been found, despite a broad increase in nickel exploration expenditure to current levels of around $50 million per year. There is a pressing need for new data sets and techniques to allow industry to target new discoveries based on limited drill sampling of potential host rocks. This project forms part of a broader program to harness the igneous geochemistry of the platinum group elements as a powerful pathfinder in nickel exploration.Read moreRead less
Understanding the deep mantle: experimental petrology at very high pressures. The great processes that shape the Earth at its surface, including plate tectonics and continental drift, can only be understood by appreciating how the interior of the Earth works. However, studying the deep Earth is difficult because of the enormous pressures and temperatures involved. This research proposes to simulate conditions in the Earth's lower mantle (that is, below 670 km in depth) by making use of an Austra ....Understanding the deep mantle: experimental petrology at very high pressures. The great processes that shape the Earth at its surface, including plate tectonics and continental drift, can only be understood by appreciating how the interior of the Earth works. However, studying the deep Earth is difficult because of the enormous pressures and temperatures involved. This research proposes to simulate conditions in the Earth's lower mantle (that is, below 670 km in depth) by making use of an Australian invented diamond-based ceramic, to double the pressure at which experiments can be performed. The information gained from this fundamental research will help predict how giant ore bodies form. The development of the high-pressure apparatus will also aid material scientists in their quest for novel materials.Read moreRead less
A virtual exploration of iron-sulphur-world in search of the precursors to life on earth. The greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide, that currently presents a threat to the continued existence of humanity, ironically represents the starting point from which life on Earth probably originated. This research will probe the chemistry of how this gas, dissolved in ancient oceans, came to be converted to molecules that form the basis of living organisms through interaction with minerals, such as iron sulphid ....A virtual exploration of iron-sulphur-world in search of the precursors to life on earth. The greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide, that currently presents a threat to the continued existence of humanity, ironically represents the starting point from which life on Earth probably originated. This research will probe the chemistry of how this gas, dissolved in ancient oceans, came to be converted to molecules that form the basis of living organisms through interaction with minerals, such as iron sulphide. Aside from answering a fundamental question, it will offer insights into processes that convert a pollutant into a useful chemical, as well as what might happen if carbon dioxide is placed in mineral deposits for long-term storage.Read moreRead less