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
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
Precise cross-calibration of 40Ar/39Ar, Rb-Sr and U-Pb chronometers: towards an integrated geochronology toolbox. Application of the 40Ar/39Ar isotopic geochronometer to dating rocks, minerals, fossils and meteorites is limited by insufficient precision and consistency in existing determinations of the half-life of its parent isotope 40K. This project proposes novel methods for determination of the half-life and branching ratio of 40K, by age comparison against well calibrated 87Rb-87Sr and 40K- ....Precise cross-calibration of 40Ar/39Ar, Rb-Sr and U-Pb chronometers: towards an integrated geochronology toolbox. Application of the 40Ar/39Ar isotopic geochronometer to dating rocks, minerals, fossils and meteorites is limited by insufficient precision and consistency in existing determinations of the half-life of its parent isotope 40K. This project proposes novel methods for determination of the half-life and branching ratio of 40K, by age comparison against well calibrated 87Rb-87Sr and 40K-40Ca geochronometers. The ages with all isotopic systems will be determined in the same minerals, thus eliminating the main source of uncertainty in the previous studies. Independently The project will measure the 40K decay rate by decay counting of highly enriched 40K salt and expects a five-fold improvement in precision and accuracy of known 40K decay rate.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
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
Resolving the influence of intraplate orogenesis on continental margin tectonics. Novel, multi-dating of continental sedimentary rocks will be undertaken to examine the effects of a high sediment flux from an enigmatic, major mountain-building event on a distant continental margin. This will expand our understanding of the range of tectonic influences between continental interiors and margins and onshore resource potential.
Jurassic arc? Reconstructing the lost world of Eastern Australia. This project aims to resolve a long-standing enigma about the geological formation of the Great Artesian Basin – Australia’s most important onshore reservoir for groundwater and hydrocarbon resources. Specifically, the project will integrate sedimentological and geochemical studies to investigate the geodynamic configuration of Eastern Australia during the Jurassic Period of basin formation. The intended outcomes are an improved u ....Jurassic arc? Reconstructing the lost world of Eastern Australia. This project aims to resolve a long-standing enigma about the geological formation of the Great Artesian Basin – Australia’s most important onshore reservoir for groundwater and hydrocarbon resources. Specifically, the project will integrate sedimentological and geochemical studies to investigate the geodynamic configuration of Eastern Australia during the Jurassic Period of basin formation. The intended outcomes are an improved understanding of the evolution of the Australian continent and better knowledge of the formation of intercontinental sedimentary basins, which includes better assessment of their potential to contain hydrocarbon resources.Read moreRead less
Tracking mass transport during metamorphism using in situ micro-analysis of minerals. The continental masses we inhabit developed in response to the colossal forces of plate tectonics. Through compression and heating, rocks of the crust can experience fluid loss or melting. Movement of these fluids or magmas can, among other things, impact on the heat budget of Earth, the carbon and water cycles and the formation of ores in the crust. This project will utilize state-of-the-art scientific instrum ....Tracking mass transport during metamorphism using in situ micro-analysis of minerals. The continental masses we inhabit developed in response to the colossal forces of plate tectonics. Through compression and heating, rocks of the crust can experience fluid loss or melting. Movement of these fluids or magmas can, among other things, impact on the heat budget of Earth, the carbon and water cycles and the formation of ores in the crust. This project will utilize state-of-the-art scientific instruments and methods to greatly improve our understanding of these issues, which, in turn, will enhance our knowledge of how the Earth's crust develops. Research training and development will be provided through two PhD projects supported through this project.Read moreRead less
Drought, El Niño and Climate Change in Queensland over the last 200,000 years: the Lynch's Crater lake record. Lynch's Crater (Queensland) provides the longest, most sensitive terrestrial record of vegetation and climate change in the low altitude tropics. A multidisciplinary approach will exploit the potential of a core collected in 2003 through high-resolution multiproxy (sedimentology, geochemistry, stable and radiogenic isotopes, pollen, charcoal and diatoms) studies. The results will contri ....Drought, El Niño and Climate Change in Queensland over the last 200,000 years: the Lynch's Crater lake record. Lynch's Crater (Queensland) provides the longest, most sensitive terrestrial record of vegetation and climate change in the low altitude tropics. A multidisciplinary approach will exploit the potential of a core collected in 2003 through high-resolution multiproxy (sedimentology, geochemistry, stable and radiogenic isotopes, pollen, charcoal and diatoms) studies. The results will contribute substantially to the resolution of current debates on the role of the tropics in global climate forcing at a variety of temporal scales, including that of the El Niño phenomenon. The reconstruction of temperature and precipitation over the past 200,000 years will improve global climate databases and prediction models.Read moreRead less
The abundance and isotope composition of pyrogenic carbon in tropical savannas. Tropical savanna burning represents an important but poorly understood component of the global carbon cycle. This project will quantify the dynamics of pyrogenic carbon (charcoal, soot, biochar) production and dispersal during savanna fires. Pyrogenic carbon is important because it can persist in the environment for thousands of years. Hence it represents both a 'sink' for carbon and a source of information about pas ....The abundance and isotope composition of pyrogenic carbon in tropical savannas. Tropical savanna burning represents an important but poorly understood component of the global carbon cycle. This project will quantify the dynamics of pyrogenic carbon (charcoal, soot, biochar) production and dispersal during savanna fires. Pyrogenic carbon is important because it can persist in the environment for thousands of years. Hence it represents both a 'sink' for carbon and a source of information about past environments. The project will also assist in validating 'biochar' as a new tool for carbon sequestration, an enable a deeper understanding of the interactions between fire, humans, vegetation and climate.Read moreRead less