Plate kinematics to plate dynamics: understanding plate boundary processes at the global scale. This proposal aims to create geodynamic models which can be used a basis for a new, smart resource exploration and extraction industry which uses simulation to help characterize regions where traditional geophysical imaging alone is not able to penetrate. It provides essential scientific underpinnings for
The Australian Computational Earth System Simulator Major National Research Facility (ACcESS).
Solidification, Channel Formation and Thermal Erosion In Lava Flows. This project will elucidate the complex dynamics that control the cooling rates and advance rates of lava flows. It will result in improved hazard assessments for volcanic areas around the world affected by the advance of lava flows, including many Pacific islands and most countries around the Pacific Rim. The project will also provide a quantitative understanding of thermal erosion in lava channels, which will help explain th ....Solidification, Channel Formation and Thermal Erosion In Lava Flows. This project will elucidate the complex dynamics that control the cooling rates and advance rates of lava flows. It will result in improved hazard assessments for volcanic areas around the world affected by the advance of lava flows, including many Pacific islands and most countries around the Pacific Rim. The project will also provide a quantitative understanding of thermal erosion in lava channels, which will help explain the formation and location of major ore deposits of nickel, copper and platinum in Western Australia and elsewhere around the world.Read moreRead less
NUMERICAL MODELS OF PLATE TECTONICS, MANTLE CONVECTION AND SLAB DYNAMICS WITH EVOLVING FAULTS. We plan to develop a method for simulating large-scale
geological structures with a much improved treatment
of tectonic faults in 3D.
Current computer models have sharp geological faults at plate
boundaries represented by broad, blurred zones. New techniques
for modeling cracks in engineering structures will be scaled up to
the whole Earth.
This will help us to understand how the Earth's p ....NUMERICAL MODELS OF PLATE TECTONICS, MANTLE CONVECTION AND SLAB DYNAMICS WITH EVOLVING FAULTS. We plan to develop a method for simulating large-scale
geological structures with a much improved treatment
of tectonic faults in 3D.
Current computer models have sharp geological faults at plate
boundaries represented by broad, blurred zones. New techniques
for modeling cracks in engineering structures will be scaled up to
the whole Earth.
This will help us to understand how the Earth's plates move and
interact now and in the past and how the structure of the continents
arose.
Not only is this intrinsically interesting, it
will also be of immediate practical benefit to geological modelers.Read moreRead less
The Fluid Dynamics of Lava Flows: Silicic Domes and Basaltic Channels. Lava flows surface much of the Earth, Moon and terrestrial planets. This interdisciplinary program will combine laboratory experiments, mathematical analysis, numerical modelling and field observations to elucidate the complex dynamics of lava flows, including the nonlinear coupling of flow with surface solidification and basal melting. The focus will be on lava dome instability, and flow in open channels and tubes. Expected ....The Fluid Dynamics of Lava Flows: Silicic Domes and Basaltic Channels. Lava flows surface much of the Earth, Moon and terrestrial planets. This interdisciplinary program will combine laboratory experiments, mathematical analysis, numerical modelling and field observations to elucidate the complex dynamics of lava flows, including the nonlinear coupling of flow with surface solidification and basal melting. The focus will be on lava dome instability, and flow in open channels and tubes. Expected outcomes include: the ability to predict rates of lava flow cooling and advance, indicators of hazardous lava dome collapse, improved volcanic hazard assessments, explanations of the genesis of world-class magmatic ore deposits, and new interpretations of planetary surface morphologies.Read moreRead less
An experimental exploration of silicate melt therrmodynamics. The chemical properties of magmas are the key to understanding igneous activity in the Earth, and hence the tectonic significance of magmatism, and the mineral resources resulting from past magmatism. The chemistry of magmas is also a determining factor in assessing the hazards associated with volcanic eruptions, including natural inputs into the atmosphere against which anthropogenic inputs causing climate change must be assessed. Th ....An experimental exploration of silicate melt therrmodynamics. The chemical properties of magmas are the key to understanding igneous activity in the Earth, and hence the tectonic significance of magmatism, and the mineral resources resulting from past magmatism. The chemistry of magmas is also a determining factor in assessing the hazards associated with volcanic eruptions, including natural inputs into the atmosphere against which anthropogenic inputs causing climate change must be assessed. This research program will measure experimentally the way different magma compositions affect the solubilites of important volatile and trace-element components in magmas, providing the much-needed fundamental data to model magmatic activity.Read moreRead less
Three-dimensional flow, temperature and melting distributions in mantle subduction zones. We will predict spatial distributions and time evolution of temperature and magma production in subduction zones, where cold oceanic plates sink into the Earth's mantle, recycle crust and sediments, and generate volcanic arcs. Three-dimensional laboratory experiments, including 3-D flow visualization and high-resolution temperature measurements, will model slab segments, different rates and modes of subduct ....Three-dimensional flow, temperature and melting distributions in mantle subduction zones. We will predict spatial distributions and time evolution of temperature and magma production in subduction zones, where cold oceanic plates sink into the Earth's mantle, recycle crust and sediments, and generate volcanic arcs. Three-dimensional laboratory experiments, including 3-D flow visualization and high-resolution temperature measurements, will model slab segments, different rates and modes of subduction and upward transport of melt. Ocean trench migration (?rollback? subduction) is of special interest because it gives patterns of temperature and vertical motion most conducive to melting. Results will be used to interpret geochemical and seismic data from the Tonga subduction zone in the South Pacific.Read moreRead less
Thick-skin continental deformation and the rheology of faulted continental lithosphere. We plan to study the way in which major, long-lived faults influence the large-scale deformation of continental lithosphere in response to plate and mantle derived stresses. We will develop realistic computer models of networks of faults embedded in the crust to examine the way large faults (e.g. the San Andreas fault in California) interact with the deep crust and shallow mantle and the way they interact w ....Thick-skin continental deformation and the rheology of faulted continental lithosphere. We plan to study the way in which major, long-lived faults influence the large-scale deformation of continental lithosphere in response to plate and mantle derived stresses. We will develop realistic computer models of networks of faults embedded in the crust to examine the way large faults (e.g. the San Andreas fault in California) interact with the deep crust and shallow mantle and the way they interact with each other. No one previous model has been able to incorporate all the important dynamics. The work will be used by structural geologists, planetary scientists and be a valuable tool in mineral exploration.Read moreRead less
Magmatic processes, volatiles and ore formation. A major current source of Australia's export wealth derives from mining of gold and copper ores. Many of our largest ore deposits, such as those at Mt Isa and Broken Hill, formed in paleo- environments equivalent to the active submarine volcanic arcs which we are proposing to study. Modern systems yield the vital clues to explore intelligently for fossil equivalents. We propose a two-pronged approach in world-renowned analytical and experimental l ....Magmatic processes, volatiles and ore formation. A major current source of Australia's export wealth derives from mining of gold and copper ores. Many of our largest ore deposits, such as those at Mt Isa and Broken Hill, formed in paleo- environments equivalent to the active submarine volcanic arcs which we are proposing to study. Modern systems yield the vital clues to explore intelligently for fossil equivalents. We propose a two-pronged approach in world-renowned analytical and experimental laboratories to understand active processes that will guide experimental simulations under controlled conditions. Results are critical for national economic advantage and the maintenance of Australian Earth science in the forefront of global research effort.
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The effects of local strain on the crystal chemistry of solid solutions. The concept of the solid solution, the substitution of one kind of atom for another in a crystal structure, is a central idea in both mineral sciences and solid state chemistry. Such atomic substitutions alter local crystal chemistry and hence always introduce strain into crystal lattices. In this project we aim to characterize this substitutional strain. Ultimately this should lead to a better understanding of the geologic ....The effects of local strain on the crystal chemistry of solid solutions. The concept of the solid solution, the substitution of one kind of atom for another in a crystal structure, is a central idea in both mineral sciences and solid state chemistry. Such atomic substitutions alter local crystal chemistry and hence always introduce strain into crystal lattices. In this project we aim to characterize this substitutional strain. Ultimately this should lead to a better understanding of the geological history of rocks, improvements in metal recovery from ores and to the design and synthesis of new materials.Read moreRead less
Properties of hydrous fluids and silicate melts at very high temperatures and pressures. High-temperature, high-pressure, water-rich fluids play a central role in many geological processes. However, these fluids are extremely difficult to characterise: although their effects are evident in many rocks, the fluids themselves are too reactive to be preserved. Here several novel techniques are described for studying the compositions and thermodynamic properties of hydrous fluids and silicate melts o ....Properties of hydrous fluids and silicate melts at very high temperatures and pressures. High-temperature, high-pressure, water-rich fluids play a central role in many geological processes. However, these fluids are extremely difficult to characterise: although their effects are evident in many rocks, the fluids themselves are too reactive to be preserved. Here several novel techniques are described for studying the compositions and thermodynamic properties of hydrous fluids and silicate melts over a wide range of geologically relevant conditions. The results of this study will greatly improve the understanding of geological processes as widely diverse as volcanism, ore deposition and metamorphism.Read moreRead less