Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE100100064
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$450,000.00
Summary
A facility for sensitive and precise isotopic dating of the earth's and extraterrestrial rocks. SPIDE2R will be a new generation mass spectrometer for very precise and sensitive dating and forensics applications in earth and planetary sciences, hydrology, climate studies, and nuclear and archaeological fingerprinting. The unprecedented sensitivity of this unique instrument will provide enhanced capabilities for solving long-standing problems requiring precise geological time resolution, as well ....A facility for sensitive and precise isotopic dating of the earth's and extraterrestrial rocks. SPIDE2R will be a new generation mass spectrometer for very precise and sensitive dating and forensics applications in earth and planetary sciences, hydrology, climate studies, and nuclear and archaeological fingerprinting. The unprecedented sensitivity of this unique instrument will provide enhanced capabilities for solving long-standing problems requiring precise geological time resolution, as well as opening new areas of research. It will be the instrument of choice for analysing small, rare samples such as those returned by space missions. The Australian-built high sensitivity source and ion detection systems can be retrofitted onto other mass spectrometers, opening a new area of commercialisation.Read moreRead less
Early Palaeozoic radiolarian evolution. This project will apply a new transformative technology, X-ray micro computed tomography, to the study of Early Palaeozoic (530-300 million year old) radiolarian microfossils. It is expected that this will allow, for the first time, non-destructive examination to elucidate the internal skeletal architecture of these fossils that is critical to understanding their evolution. Computer reconstruction of three-dimensional images will reveal details upon which ....Early Palaeozoic radiolarian evolution. This project will apply a new transformative technology, X-ray micro computed tomography, to the study of Early Palaeozoic (530-300 million year old) radiolarian microfossils. It is expected that this will allow, for the first time, non-destructive examination to elucidate the internal skeletal architecture of these fossils that is critical to understanding their evolution. Computer reconstruction of three-dimensional images will reveal details upon which an understanding of early phylogenetic relationships within this phylum can be developed. This in turn will allow realisation of the full biostratigraphic potential of this important long-ranging group of marine protozoans that commonly occur in great abundance in deep marine sedimentary rocks.Read moreRead less
The reptile-mammal jaw transition as revealed by 3D imaging, embryology, and computational biomechanics: new approaches to some age old questions. The extraordinary transformation of the mammalian middle ear through biomechanical 're-tooling' of the ancestral reptilian jaw joint, also recapitulated in mammalian development, yielded the greatly improved feeding and hearing efficiency that are key to the mammalian success story. Building on recent methodological advances, this project will employ ....The reptile-mammal jaw transition as revealed by 3D imaging, embryology, and computational biomechanics: new approaches to some age old questions. The extraordinary transformation of the mammalian middle ear through biomechanical 're-tooling' of the ancestral reptilian jaw joint, also recapitulated in mammalian development, yielded the greatly improved feeding and hearing efficiency that are key to the mammalian success story. Building on recent methodological advances, this project will employ cutting-edge two-dimensional protocols to explain these mechanical details of this transition. This includes integration of the first undistorted embryological soft-tissue evidence for muscular arrangements in the transitioning jaw. Through vastly improving on conventional two-dimensional approaches, the project will maintain Australia's leading position in the fast developing field of virtual biomechanics.Read moreRead less
The enigmatic link between crustal growth and supercontinent formation. This project links with major energy and resource initiatives from the Australian Government. It will provide detailed geological information that will help constrain our understanding of the deep structure of the Earth in northern and central Australia. This knowledge will assist in mineral and energy resource exploration of these highly prospective regions. The information will also link with other ARC-funded geological st ....The enigmatic link between crustal growth and supercontinent formation. This project links with major energy and resource initiatives from the Australian Government. It will provide detailed geological information that will help constrain our understanding of the deep structure of the Earth in northern and central Australia. This knowledge will assist in mineral and energy resource exploration of these highly prospective regions. The information will also link with other ARC-funded geological studies, to help understand how a large, but enigmatic, part of the Australian continental grew rapidly, almost 2 billion years ago.
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A test for Pangean breakup models. This project addresses a core issue of planetary-geology, with project outcomes providing an unparalleled synthesis of global-scale Earth processes that highlight hitherto unsuspected links between peripheral orogenic systems and Pangean breakup. The project directly addresses the key problem 'How do the continents work?', outlined by the National Committee of Earth Sciences. It links internationally to [ERAS], a multi-national proposal to investigate accretion ....A test for Pangean breakup models. This project addresses a core issue of planetary-geology, with project outcomes providing an unparalleled synthesis of global-scale Earth processes that highlight hitherto unsuspected links between peripheral orogenic systems and Pangean breakup. The project directly addresses the key problem 'How do the continents work?', outlined by the National Committee of Earth Sciences. It links internationally to [ERAS], a multi-national proposal to investigate accretionary orogens through geologic time, and nationally via the seed-funded ARC Network (AEON) to ACcess, RSES (ANU) and with a National Key Centre, (GEMOC), with whom the University of Newcastle is a research partner. 2PhD projects are involved.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0882854
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$6,000,000.00
Summary
Australian Membership of the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program. Membership of the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) will provide high-leverage access to the largest, and most effective international geoscience program.
Results from drilling within Australia's marine jurisdiction will give understanding of the oceans' state under past climates through high resolution records of the range of oceanographic and biological responses to climate change, the role of the deep biosphere in shapin ....Australian Membership of the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program. Membership of the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) will provide high-leverage access to the largest, and most effective international geoscience program.
Results from drilling within Australia's marine jurisdiction will give understanding of the oceans' state under past climates through high resolution records of the range of oceanographic and biological responses to climate change, the role of the deep biosphere in shaping oil and gas deposits, hydrothermal and igneous processes involved in ore genesis, and enhanced understanding of some of the world's largest earthquake- and tsunami-generating processes.
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Pressure waves on the mechanics of earthquakes and faulting. This project aims to decipher the physics of faulting and earthquakes from damage zones around seismogenic faults. It will examine a mechanism for instability in solids: volumetric collapse due to a dissipative pressure wave. This pressure wave may control damage-zone geometry and relate to earthquake stress and rock material properties. The project will research the instability through theoretical, laboratory and field studies. Antici ....Pressure waves on the mechanics of earthquakes and faulting. This project aims to decipher the physics of faulting and earthquakes from damage zones around seismogenic faults. It will examine a mechanism for instability in solids: volumetric collapse due to a dissipative pressure wave. This pressure wave may control damage-zone geometry and relate to earthquake stress and rock material properties. The project will research the instability through theoretical, laboratory and field studies. Anticipated outcomes include advances in earthquake and fault prediction, tools to determine the stress state and material properties of Earth’s crust, and knowledge of a class of solid instabilities.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0453555
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$109,595.00
Summary
Luminescence stimulation and detection facility for dating of Quaternary geological and archaeological sediments. Reliable ages are required in the Earth and archaeological sciences. Luminescence dating is a flexible geochronological technique for diverse deposits. It exploits the radiation-induced thermally (TL) and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) emissions from minerals exposed to sunlight before burial. Recent technical developments have made feasible OSL dating of small samples (e.g. ....Luminescence stimulation and detection facility for dating of Quaternary geological and archaeological sediments. Reliable ages are required in the Earth and archaeological sciences. Luminescence dating is a flexible geochronological technique for diverse deposits. It exploits the radiation-induced thermally (TL) and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) emissions from minerals exposed to sunlight before burial. Recent technical developments have made feasible OSL dating of small samples (e.g., individual sand grains) and sediments deposited during the past 0.5-1 million years. We request funds for a Risø TL/OSL system with single-grain attachment to resolve the timing of sea-level, climate and landscape changes, and the chronology of human evolution and dispersal, in Australia and Southeast Asia.Read moreRead less
Determining the relative roles of dispersal and vicariance in the assembly of the New Zealand fauna. New fossils from New Zealand's St Bathans Fauna (19-16 million years) will revolutionise our understanding of the shared biodiversity and evolutionary history of New Zealand and Australia through the first views of the origin and evolution of major Gondwanan groups including frogs, crocodiles, birds and bats on the now mostly-drowned continent Zealandia.