Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE210100205
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$367,000.00
Summary
Searching for Life on Mars on Earth. Australia continues to play a world-leading role in researching planetary habitability. This project will deliver the most comprehensive investigation of Earth’s oldest known river/lake deposits, uniquely preserved in 2.8 billion-year-old rocks in Western Australia. Using the candidate’s expertise in field investigation in combination with a cutting-edge analytical approach, the project will produce a detailed reconstruction of the ancient lake environment. S ....Searching for Life on Mars on Earth. Australia continues to play a world-leading role in researching planetary habitability. This project will deliver the most comprehensive investigation of Earth’s oldest known river/lake deposits, uniquely preserved in 2.8 billion-year-old rocks in Western Australia. Using the candidate’s expertise in field investigation in combination with a cutting-edge analytical approach, the project will produce a detailed reconstruction of the ancient lake environment. Similar settings will be explored by NASA's upcoming Mars 2020 rover mission at it's landing site in Jezero Crater. Mission data will be analysed by the candidate, who will guide the selection of samples and address the overarching question of whether microbal life ever existed on Mars.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE240101283
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$361,000.00
Summary
Linking Australia’s basement and cover mineral systems . The aim of this research is to use revolutionary new mineral-dating techniques to test the hypothesis that low-temperature fluids can transport metals from Australia's richly endowed geological basement to form new mineral deposits in the sedimentary basins that cover most of the continent. Sedimentary-hosted mineral systems are the largest source of the critical metal cobalt and the second largest source of copper on Earth. These two meta ....Linking Australia’s basement and cover mineral systems . The aim of this research is to use revolutionary new mineral-dating techniques to test the hypothesis that low-temperature fluids can transport metals from Australia's richly endowed geological basement to form new mineral deposits in the sedimentary basins that cover most of the continent. Sedimentary-hosted mineral systems are the largest source of the critical metal cobalt and the second largest source of copper on Earth. These two metals are essential to developing the green energy infrastructure and technologies that underpin a net zero economy. The expected outcomes are a detailed record of paleo-fluid flow and metal cycling in Australia's highly prospective sedimentary basins. Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE180100584
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$342,949.00
Summary
Impact processes and evolution of the Martian crust. The project aims to define the crustal structure of Mars, using three-dimensional hydrodynamic modelling, experiments and geophysical data obtained from Mars. This will be achieved by the analysis of impact-related seismic data obtained by the forthcoming mission to Mars, along with already available remote sensing data of Mars. This project will start a new multidisciplinary field linking numerical impact physics and seismology.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE190101307
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$421,824.00
Summary
A new nano-geochronology approach to global Earth processes. This project aims to develop a new nano-geochronology tool. Geochronology is the science of determining the ages of rocks and geological events, and is key to answering fundamental questions of planetary evolution, the geological processes that shaped our Earth, and evolution of life and past climates. Many valuable mineral phases are too small to be dated by conventional methods. The potential that nano-geochronology has to unlock inf ....A new nano-geochronology approach to global Earth processes. This project aims to develop a new nano-geochronology tool. Geochronology is the science of determining the ages of rocks and geological events, and is key to answering fundamental questions of planetary evolution, the geological processes that shaped our Earth, and evolution of life and past climates. Many valuable mineral phases are too small to be dated by conventional methods. The potential that nano-geochronology has to unlock information otherwise untraceable remains largely unexplored. The development and application of nano-geochronology will improve our understanding of the Australian crust and the field of geological mapping, which largely supports mineral exploration.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE240100654
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$468,367.00
Summary
Critical metal fluid migration in shear zones during tectonic switches. This project aims to investigate why critical metal ore deposits form in inverted shear zones, which are zones of deformation that result from tectonic plates moving away from then towards each other. Numerical modelling of inverted shear zones will reveal drivers of ore fluid migration and will be combined with investigation of mineralised and non-mineralised inverted shear zones. This project will generate a new understand ....Critical metal fluid migration in shear zones during tectonic switches. This project aims to investigate why critical metal ore deposits form in inverted shear zones, which are zones of deformation that result from tectonic plates moving away from then towards each other. Numerical modelling of inverted shear zones will reveal drivers of ore fluid migration and will be combined with investigation of mineralised and non-mineralised inverted shear zones. This project will generate a new understanding of how inverted shear zones pump fluids through rocks to cause enrichment and ore deposition. This type of deposit is common in Queensland and the expected outcomes are improved exploration models, leading to discovery of new ore deposits, which is pivotal as the global demand for critical metals increases.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE130100604
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
The dynamics of continent deformations. Modeling the coupling of subducting oceanic plates and deforming continents provides a fundamentally new view of the dynamics of our planet. It will improve an understanding of the formation of basins in continent interiors and their evolution over geological times.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE150100510
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$372,000.00
Summary
A new approach to revealing melting processes in the hidden deep Earth. Kimberlite magmas are very rich in volatiles (for example carbon dioxide and water); they are the major host of diamonds and provide the deepest samples from Earth's mantle. The primary compositions of these melts can provide unique information on the nature of the deep mantle. However, kimberlite melts mix and react with wall rocks on the way up, obscuring their primary composition. To see through these secondary processes, ....A new approach to revealing melting processes in the hidden deep Earth. Kimberlite magmas are very rich in volatiles (for example carbon dioxide and water); they are the major host of diamonds and provide the deepest samples from Earth's mantle. The primary compositions of these melts can provide unique information on the nature of the deep mantle. However, kimberlite melts mix and react with wall rocks on the way up, obscuring their primary composition. To see through these secondary processes, the project aims to use a novel approach integrating the study of melt inclusions in magmatic minerals with analysis of radiogenic and stable isotopes, and investigating reactions between kimberlite magmas and wall-rock fragments. The project aims to provide new understanding of the constraints on melting processes and recycling of crustal material in the deep mantle.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE140100376
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$389,339.00
Summary
The role of mantle plumes in driving plate tectonics and continental margin evolution. Plumes of molten rock rise from deep within the Earth resulting in massive surface eruptions that can lead to global mass extinction events. Despite their size, the role plumes play in driving movements of the continents is poorly understood. This project combines independent global and Australian geological and geophysical data with open software systems to link deep Earth and surface geological processes. Th ....The role of mantle plumes in driving plate tectonics and continental margin evolution. Plumes of molten rock rise from deep within the Earth resulting in massive surface eruptions that can lead to global mass extinction events. Despite their size, the role plumes play in driving movements of the continents is poorly understood. This project combines independent global and Australian geological and geophysical data with open software systems to link deep Earth and surface geological processes. This approach will result in a clearer understanding of how the internal workings of our planet drive, and interact with, surface geological processes. The project will also show how these interactions shape the environmentally important, and resources rich, continental margins and ocean basins.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE150101190
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$350,259.00
Summary
The role of hydrostatic pressure in modulating submarine silicic eruptions. Exploration on the modern seafloor reveals the deposits of deep (greater than 1 000 metres) silicic explosive eruptions, yet theory predicts that explosivity at these depths is largely suppressed. In 2012 the largest and deepest silicic submarine explosive eruption ever recorded took place at depths up to 1 600 metres, also challenging this theory. This project leverages a United States of America research expedition to ....The role of hydrostatic pressure in modulating submarine silicic eruptions. Exploration on the modern seafloor reveals the deposits of deep (greater than 1 000 metres) silicic explosive eruptions, yet theory predicts that explosivity at these depths is largely suppressed. In 2012 the largest and deepest silicic submarine explosive eruption ever recorded took place at depths up to 1 600 metres, also challenging this theory. This project leverages a United States of America research expedition to the eruption site. This project aims to constrain the physical and chemical factors that control explosivity using cutting-edge technologies. Australia's ancient submarine volcanoes host highly economic ore deposits. This project aims to enhance the ability to interpret ancient volcanic settings, thereby improving the potential for new ore deposit discoveries.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE120103067
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
How does the continental crust get so hot? This project is aimed at constraining the tectonic drivers of high geothermal gradient crustal regimes. The key outcomes of this project are better constraints on the tectonic drivers of high geothermal gradient metamorphism and the development of quantitative tools to assess the evolution of heat within areas of mountain building.