Sedimentary phosphorites as geochemical sponges: trace element scavenging, the chemical evolution of seawater and an innovative method for dating sediments. Ancient sedimentary phosphorite is the major source of commercial phosphate in Australia and East Asia. This project will lead to economic and environmental benefits to Australia by providing the minerals industry with the tools to target purer phosphate, thus improving resource estimations and minimising the environmental impact of trace me ....Sedimentary phosphorites as geochemical sponges: trace element scavenging, the chemical evolution of seawater and an innovative method for dating sediments. Ancient sedimentary phosphorite is the major source of commercial phosphate in Australia and East Asia. This project will lead to economic and environmental benefits to Australia by providing the minerals industry with the tools to target purer phosphate, thus improving resource estimations and minimising the environmental impact of trace metal burdened fertiliser. The study will enhance our understanding of the nature and timing of key moments in Earth history and could serve as a launchpad for future studies on the use of phosphate for environmental remediation. We hope to provide exciting opportunities for Australian postgraduates through cutting edge research in partnership with both homespun and international academic collaborators.Read moreRead less
The biogeochemical cycling of gold: development of innovative strategies in exploration. Doctor Southam's application of fundamental geomicrobiology to mineral exploration and mineral processing will enhance Australia's leadership in the global mining industry. The use of natural processes to develop biotechnological innovations will result in more sustainable mining practices.
Finding Porphyry Copper with zircon trace elements & hyperspectral display. Copper mine discovery rates lag behind world needs. One way to find copper in the World’s Ring of Fire is to measure compositions of zircons which are durable minerals concentrated in stream sands and spreadout long distances below a deposit. 100s of zircon from a cup of sand constitute a sample. Zircon chemical features that indicate possible mines are mostly understood, but nature is complicated. Beyond the 26 channel ....Finding Porphyry Copper with zircon trace elements & hyperspectral display. Copper mine discovery rates lag behind world needs. One way to find copper in the World’s Ring of Fire is to measure compositions of zircons which are durable minerals concentrated in stream sands and spreadout long distances below a deposit. 100s of zircon from a cup of sand constitute a sample. Zircon chemical features that indicate possible mines are mostly understood, but nature is complicated. Beyond the 26 channels of chemical data for each grain in the 10,000s of analyses, there are 7 layers of lab imaging data that are not carried along in a convenient way. Geologists need smart computer systems to find useful relationships among the 33 channels and to discover relations within and between samples to find more mineable copper. Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE210101395
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$447,627.00
Summary
Linking continental emergence and climatic evolution on the Early Earth. This project will use a range of innovative geochemical techniques to constrain the timing and extent to which the continents were emergent (above sea-level) throughout Earth’s history and its impact on climatic evolution. Continental emergence was pivotal to the development of our habitable planet, as it controlled the influx of bioessential elements, like phosphorus, to the oceans. Expected outcomes include a detailed rec ....Linking continental emergence and climatic evolution on the Early Earth. This project will use a range of innovative geochemical techniques to constrain the timing and extent to which the continents were emergent (above sea-level) throughout Earth’s history and its impact on climatic evolution. Continental emergence was pivotal to the development of our habitable planet, as it controlled the influx of bioessential elements, like phosphorus, to the oceans. Expected outcomes include a detailed record of changes in ocean chemistry, and a time integrated model for the emergence of continents on the early Earth. Documenting the impact of changes in the solid Earth on evolution is not only of interest to society in general, but also contributes to understanding the formation of Australia’s vast iron ore deposits.Read moreRead less
ARC Centre of Excellence for Core to Crust Fluid Systems. Water is essential for human existence, indeed for life's beginning. The circulation of water between the surface and the deep interior lubricates the internal dynamics that keep Earth geologically alive; it is crucial to most Earth systems, including the evolution of the hydrospher/atmosphere/biosphere, and the development of giant ore deposits. However, the origin, abundance, speciation and movements of fluids inside Earth are largely u ....ARC Centre of Excellence for Core to Crust Fluid Systems. Water is essential for human existence, indeed for life's beginning. The circulation of water between the surface and the deep interior lubricates the internal dynamics that keep Earth geologically alive; it is crucial to most Earth systems, including the evolution of the hydrospher/atmosphere/biosphere, and the development of giant ore deposits. However, the origin, abundance, speciation and movements of fluids inside Earth are largely unknown, and represent key issues in modern geoscience. This CoE will integrate previously disparate fields - geology, tectonics, geochemistry, petrophysics, geophysics and dynamic modelling - to understand the workings of Earth's deep plumbing system.Read moreRead less
Stable isotopic studies and isotopic dating, Woodleigh Impact Structure, Western Australia: implications for the Late Devonian mass extinction. The 120 km diameter Woodleigh impact structure in the Carnarvon Basin, Western Australia is the third largest Phanerozoic impact structure. K-Ar dating of impact-induced alteration minerals indicates a Late Devonian age for Woodleigh. The precise timing of impact, nature of the impacting body and processes responsible for redistribution of meteoritic com ....Stable isotopic studies and isotopic dating, Woodleigh Impact Structure, Western Australia: implications for the Late Devonian mass extinction. The 120 km diameter Woodleigh impact structure in the Carnarvon Basin, Western Australia is the third largest Phanerozoic impact structure. K-Ar dating of impact-induced alteration minerals indicates a Late Devonian age for Woodleigh. The precise timing of impact, nature of the impacting body and processes responsible for redistribution of meteoritic components will be investigated using a range of analytical methodologies. A search will be made for impact-related sedimentary deposits to see if an extraterrestrial component can be identified and correlated with Woodleigh. The expected outcome is proof of an impact-extinction connection for the Late Devonian mass extinction, one of the largest in Earth history.Read moreRead less
Continental temperature and rainfall change during past global warming - a multiproxy approach involving clumped isotopes in speleothems. Global climate simulation and prediction models depend on accurate and quantitative measurements of key climatic parameters such as temperature and rainfall, and their temporal changes and spatial distributions. Our research will combine the revolutionary clumped isotope thermometry with other climatic proxies archived in stalagmites to quantify temperature an ....Continental temperature and rainfall change during past global warming - a multiproxy approach involving clumped isotopes in speleothems. Global climate simulation and prediction models depend on accurate and quantitative measurements of key climatic parameters such as temperature and rainfall, and their temporal changes and spatial distributions. Our research will combine the revolutionary clumped isotope thermometry with other climatic proxies archived in stalagmites to quantify temperature and rainfall changes in Australia and China during the past two major episodes of global warming (Terminations I and II). This pilot project directly addresses national research priority goals 'Water - a critical resource', 'Responding to climate change and variability', provide an excellent platform for cross-institutional research training and enhance scientific exchange with China.Read moreRead less
Proterozoic crustal evolution of the Northern Australian Craton revealed from hafnium-oxygen isotope systematics of granite-hosted and detrital zircons. This project will provide an detailed view of continental crust formation during a key period of Earth's history. Through an innovative approach and the use of sophisticated micro-analytical techniques, it will enhance the profile and global competitiveness of Australian research. The project is an integral part of a national collaboration on Pr ....Proterozoic crustal evolution of the Northern Australian Craton revealed from hafnium-oxygen isotope systematics of granite-hosted and detrital zircons. This project will provide an detailed view of continental crust formation during a key period of Earth's history. Through an innovative approach and the use of sophisticated micro-analytical techniques, it will enhance the profile and global competitiveness of Australian research. The project is an integral part of a national collaboration on Proterozoic terranes involving universities, Geoscience Australia and state geological surveys, and datasets generated by this study can potentially lead to refined mineral exploration strategies. The project is linked to the development of a major new analytical facility at James Cook University that will support local and international research and research training.Read moreRead less
Weathering on Mars and Australian Analogues: Developing Suitable Chronological Tools and Theoretical Approaches. The research outlined in this proposal will place Australia at the forefront of Mars exploration research. It will lead to the development of new approaches for the analysis of minerals formed by low temperature water-rock interaction and for the interpretation of geochronological results obtained from supergene minerals. The new analytical approaches developed in this project will ha ....Weathering on Mars and Australian Analogues: Developing Suitable Chronological Tools and Theoretical Approaches. The research outlined in this proposal will place Australia at the forefront of Mars exploration research. It will lead to the development of new approaches for the analysis of minerals formed by low temperature water-rock interaction and for the interpretation of geochronological results obtained from supergene minerals. The new analytical approaches developed in this project will have direct application in the study of the paleoclimatological and environmental evolution of Earth and Mars. It will also result in improved understanding of environmental and landscape evolution in Australia, helping to reach the objectives of an Environmentally Sustainable Australia, a national research priority.Read moreRead less