Deep time extinctions and environments in Australian underwater caves. This project aims to investigate the unique submerged Mt Gambier fossil deposits to determine the role environmental change had on large Australian mammal extinctions. By using a combination of technical diving and scientific expertise to study untouched fossil deposits from underwater caves, this project expects to provide greater understanding of past ecosystems and animals, advancements in geochronological techniques, and ....Deep time extinctions and environments in Australian underwater caves. This project aims to investigate the unique submerged Mt Gambier fossil deposits to determine the role environmental change had on large Australian mammal extinctions. By using a combination of technical diving and scientific expertise to study untouched fossil deposits from underwater caves, this project expects to provide greater understanding of past ecosystems and animals, advancements in geochronological techniques, and data critical to prepare Australians for action in protecting our biological heritage. Expected outcomes include insights into cave conservation and protection of underwater cave systems, updated policies on cave management, and promotion of our understanding of Australian geo-heritage through education and displays.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE200100022
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$580,000.00
Summary
New frontier in Geoscience: A tandem trace element and isotopes facility. The project aims to integrate a multicollector mass spectrometer with the existing laser ablation laboratory at Southern Cross University to establish a unique facility offering tandem trace element and isotopes analysis. This will provide new methodological advancement by expanding the analytical range and obtaining information otherwise inaccessible to stand-alone instruments using traditional standardisation methods. Sp ....New frontier in Geoscience: A tandem trace element and isotopes facility. The project aims to integrate a multicollector mass spectrometer with the existing laser ablation laboratory at Southern Cross University to establish a unique facility offering tandem trace element and isotopes analysis. This will provide new methodological advancement by expanding the analytical range and obtaining information otherwise inaccessible to stand-alone instruments using traditional standardisation methods. Specifically, the integration of an innovative split stream system allows precise matching of elemental concentration with isotopic ratios, crucial for microscale resolution and data accuracy. The new infrastructure will confirm Australia’s leadership role and maintain its competitive advantage in geosciences.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE170100177
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$290,000.00
Summary
A regional optical dating facility in Australia. This project aims to establish an open access, end-user friendly optical dating facility in Australia. This will address shortcomings in the capacity and geographical coverage of the existing national geochronology infrastructure and enable Australian researchers to reconstruct past records of climate change, human evolution, ecological vulnerabilities, natural and man-made hazards and environmental disturbance over historical to near-million-year ....A regional optical dating facility in Australia. This project aims to establish an open access, end-user friendly optical dating facility in Australia. This will address shortcomings in the capacity and geographical coverage of the existing national geochronology infrastructure and enable Australian researchers to reconstruct past records of climate change, human evolution, ecological vulnerabilities, natural and man-made hazards and environmental disturbance over historical to near-million-year timeframes. This project is expected to increase commercial demand for geoscience services and lead to better understanding of Australia’s natural heritage and its long-term vulnerabilities.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE160100743
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$388,496.00
Summary
Luminescence dating of Middle Pleistocene human histories in Europe. This project aims to ascertain the timing, context and nature of early human evolution and associated cultural turnovers in southern Europe using cutting-edge dating techniques. The project plans to use recent advances in extended-range luminescence dating to establish unequivocal, multifaceted chronologies for a comprehensive range of human fossil and stone tool sites from the Iberian Peninsula. The outcomes of this project ar ....Luminescence dating of Middle Pleistocene human histories in Europe. This project aims to ascertain the timing, context and nature of early human evolution and associated cultural turnovers in southern Europe using cutting-edge dating techniques. The project plans to use recent advances in extended-range luminescence dating to establish unequivocal, multifaceted chronologies for a comprehensive range of human fossil and stone tool sites from the Iberian Peninsula. The outcomes of this project are expected to advance our understanding of early human history by providing a critical temporal reappraisal of modelled hominin evolutionary relationships, determining the mode and tempo of cultural turnovers, and unravelling how past human populations responded to major climate change and environmental pressures.Read moreRead less
Extricating extinction histories at Lake Callabonna’s megafauna necropolis. This project aims to determine the nature, timing and causes of megafaunal extinction in arid Australia using an extensive fossil necropolis at Lake Callabonna. An approach combining geochronology, morphology and histology studies will be used to generate novel understanding of both the life and death of Australia’s most iconic megafaunal species. Expected outcomes of the project include generating critical new insights ....Extricating extinction histories at Lake Callabonna’s megafauna necropolis. This project aims to determine the nature, timing and causes of megafaunal extinction in arid Australia using an extensive fossil necropolis at Lake Callabonna. An approach combining geochronology, morphology and histology studies will be used to generate novel understanding of both the life and death of Australia’s most iconic megafaunal species. Expected outcomes of the project include generating critical new insights into the globally significant megafauna extinction debate, and enhancing institutional and international collaborations in palaeoecological research. By providing a deep time perspective on Australia’s extinction dynamics, this project will benefit future conservation management strategies.Read moreRead less
Naracoorte caves: a critical window on faunal extinctions and past climates. This project aims to establish an unprecedented record of biodiversity and environmental change at Australia’s richest Quaternary fossil site – Naracoorte Caves. The study will integrate all aspects of the preserved deposits, employing new approaches in geochronology, palaeontology and geochemistry to develop truly comprehensive palaeoecological and palaeoclimate histories. This project will establish a benchmark datase ....Naracoorte caves: a critical window on faunal extinctions and past climates. This project aims to establish an unprecedented record of biodiversity and environmental change at Australia’s richest Quaternary fossil site – Naracoorte Caves. The study will integrate all aspects of the preserved deposits, employing new approaches in geochronology, palaeontology and geochemistry to develop truly comprehensive palaeoecological and palaeoclimate histories. This project will establish a benchmark dataset on past ecological and environmental change, strengthening scientific innovation in key research priority areas. It will have significant implications for understanding megafauna extinctions and past biodiversity responses, and will inform future conservation and climate change adaptation strategies. The project will transform the scientific profile of Naracoorte Caves, ensuring socioeconomic benefits to regional communities through education, ecotourism and knowledge marketing.Read moreRead less
Trying times: Millennial to million year luminescence chronologies for improved reconstructions of Australian megafaunal extinctions. The causes of megafaunal extinction in Australia continue to be fiercely debated owing to chronological gaps in the palaeontological record, poorly constrained palaeoenvironmental histories and limited data on long-term faunal responses to climate change prior to human arrival. This project will utilise and advance new luminescence dating methods to provide unpara ....Trying times: Millennial to million year luminescence chronologies for improved reconstructions of Australian megafaunal extinctions. The causes of megafaunal extinction in Australia continue to be fiercely debated owing to chronological gaps in the palaeontological record, poorly constrained palaeoenvironmental histories and limited data on long-term faunal responses to climate change prior to human arrival. This project will utilise and advance new luminescence dating methods to provide unparalleled reconstructions of faunal turnover and environmental change over millennial to million year timescales. The chronologies generated through this work will provide a crucial new perspective on the ongoing megafaunal debate and will be used to test key assumptions underpinning anthropogenic- and climate-driven extinction hypotheses on local, regional and continental scales.Read moreRead less