Australian Laureate Fellowships - Grant ID: FL160100168
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,851,557.00
Summary
The pulse of the earth. The pulse of the earth. This project aims to establish the origin and evolution of the continental crust and its role in the long term development of the Earth system. The continental crust hosts the resources on which we depend and its evolution controls the environment in which we live. The crust’s record (including resources) is episodic in space and time, but the origin of this periodicity is unresolved. Building on recent advances on crustal development, the fellowsh ....The pulse of the earth. The pulse of the earth. This project aims to establish the origin and evolution of the continental crust and its role in the long term development of the Earth system. The continental crust hosts the resources on which we depend and its evolution controls the environment in which we live. The crust’s record (including resources) is episodic in space and time, but the origin of this periodicity is unresolved. Building on recent advances on crustal development, the fellowship would work to resolve the origin of the episodic age pattern, which affects the distribution of mineral systems and their prospectivity.Read moreRead less
Novel isotope techniques to explore the Centralian Superbasin, Australia. This project will leverage new advances in analytical instrumentation and isotope techniques to generate improved geochronological and stratigraphic framework for the Centralian Superbasin, a vast ancient depositional system covering much of central Australia. The project aims to apply novel laser-based dating of sedimentary rocks, coupled with metal isotope proxy reconstructions of the basin’s palaeogeography, hydrologica ....Novel isotope techniques to explore the Centralian Superbasin, Australia. This project will leverage new advances in analytical instrumentation and isotope techniques to generate improved geochronological and stratigraphic framework for the Centralian Superbasin, a vast ancient depositional system covering much of central Australia. The project aims to apply novel laser-based dating of sedimentary rocks, coupled with metal isotope proxy reconstructions of the basin’s palaeogeography, hydrological connectivity and past redox conditions, which are all critical parameters to guide and de-risk future exploration of sediment-hosted resources in this frontier basin. Anticipated outcomes will benefit Australia's resources economy, while providing insights into the evolution of Earth’s surface environment in deep time.Read moreRead less
Testing continental growth models with calcium and strontium isotopes. The Project aims to chart the evolution of the Earth’s primordial mantle and oceans between 3.75 and 2.8 billion years ago using calcium and strontium isotopes in ancient igneous and sedimentary rocks. A novel solution to the controversy over the timing and rate of growth of the Earth’s continents is expected. Anticipated outcomes include the establishment of innovative analytical tools for tracing geological and environmenta ....Testing continental growth models with calcium and strontium isotopes. The Project aims to chart the evolution of the Earth’s primordial mantle and oceans between 3.75 and 2.8 billion years ago using calcium and strontium isotopes in ancient igneous and sedimentary rocks. A novel solution to the controversy over the timing and rate of growth of the Earth’s continents is expected. Anticipated outcomes include the establishment of innovative analytical tools for tracing geological and environmental processes, and stronger collaborative links with premier research institutions abroad. The significant benefits of the Project include an enhanced understanding of the environment in which early life evolved, and fresh insight into the formation of the richly mineralized nucleus of the Australian continent. Read moreRead less
Glauconite: Archive Recording Timing and Triggers of Cambrian Radiation . This project aims to constrain the timing and speed of the Cambrian radiation of complex animals, and to test potential environmental triggers of this milestone bioevent. New laser mass spectrometry and mineral mapping technology will be integrated to precisely date glauconite – a silicate mineral commonly formed in Cambrian shallow marine animal habitats. This innovative and cost-effective approach will produce the first ....Glauconite: Archive Recording Timing and Triggers of Cambrian Radiation . This project aims to constrain the timing and speed of the Cambrian radiation of complex animals, and to test potential environmental triggers of this milestone bioevent. New laser mass spectrometry and mineral mapping technology will be integrated to precisely date glauconite – a silicate mineral commonly formed in Cambrian shallow marine animal habitats. This innovative and cost-effective approach will produce the first high-resolution timeline of early animal evolution, where the glauconite-based marine isotope record identifies the most likely environmental trigger for the Cambrian Radiation. Outcomes of this study include improved understanding of the drivers of animal evolution, and a new dating tool for basic and applied research.Read moreRead less
Nanoscale repositories of the geological record of Earth and other planets. Rhenium-Osmium (Re-Os) dating is used widely to infer Earth's evolution, but most samples are hydrated, with consequent mobility of Re, which is problematic for interpretation of isotope results. This project will solve this problem by determining the effects of hydration on Re and Os. Further, our knowledge of the mobility of Re and related elements will allow us to recognise rocks that once interacted with water, even ....Nanoscale repositories of the geological record of Earth and other planets. Rhenium-Osmium (Re-Os) dating is used widely to infer Earth's evolution, but most samples are hydrated, with consequent mobility of Re, which is problematic for interpretation of isotope results. This project will solve this problem by determining the effects of hydration on Re and Os. Further, our knowledge of the mobility of Re and related elements will allow us to recognise rocks that once interacted with water, even after that water has gone, providing a tool to read the record of Earth's earliest oceans. Our new methods will enable Re-Os dating with clarity and confidence, with profound implications for understanding of Earth and extra-terrestrial planetary evolution.Read moreRead less