The Australian Research Data Commons (ARDC) invites you to participate in a short survey about your
interaction with the ARDC and use of our national research infrastructure and services. The survey will take
approximately 5 minutes and is anonymous. It’s open to anyone who uses our digital research infrastructure
services including Reasearch Link Australia.
We will use the information you provide to improve the national research infrastructure and services we
deliver and to report on user satisfaction to the Australian Government’s National Collaborative Research
Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS) program.
Please take a few minutes to provide your input. The survey closes COB Friday 29 May 2026.
Complete the 5 min survey now by clicking on the link below.
Evolution of sub-arc mantle oxidation state over Earth’s history. This project aims to determine how the oxidation state of the Earth's mantle has changed throughout geologic history in response to recycling of sulfur, carbon and iron though subduction zones, and how this has influenced mineral deposit formation. The expected outcome is a holistic model that ties evolution of the Earth's biosphere to geochemical changes in the deep Earth that control mineral deposit formation. By improving our u ....Evolution of sub-arc mantle oxidation state over Earth’s history. This project aims to determine how the oxidation state of the Earth's mantle has changed throughout geologic history in response to recycling of sulfur, carbon and iron though subduction zones, and how this has influenced mineral deposit formation. The expected outcome is a holistic model that ties evolution of the Earth's biosphere to geochemical changes in the deep Earth that control mineral deposit formation. By improving our understanding of how, where, when and why mineral deposits formed, this project should provide improvements in mineral exploration strategy, and thus benefits to Australia's economy.Read moreRead less
Earth's best-preserved Archean boninites: do they finally resolve the Archean mantle plume - plate tectonics controversy? Subduction typically starts on the modern Earth with the eruption of chemically distinctive rocks known as boninites. This project will study remarkably well preserved 2.85 billion year old boninites from Western Australia that may finally establish whether modern-style plate tectonics operated in the first half of Earth's history.
The copper-gold fertility of mountain belts. This project aims to identify the timing of, and understand the causes of, sulphide saturation in granitic suites to test the hypothesis that sulphide saturation controls the fertility of copper-gold deposits. More than half of the world’s copper and gold comes from granitic rocks, but most granitic suites are barren. As copper-gold deposits become increasingly difficult to find, and exploration budgets have been slashed, it is critical to reliably di ....The copper-gold fertility of mountain belts. This project aims to identify the timing of, and understand the causes of, sulphide saturation in granitic suites to test the hypothesis that sulphide saturation controls the fertility of copper-gold deposits. More than half of the world’s copper and gold comes from granitic rocks, but most granitic suites are barren. As copper-gold deposits become increasingly difficult to find, and exploration budgets have been slashed, it is critical to reliably distinguish ore bearing from barren systems. Platinum group element geochemistry could make this distinction by pinpointing the timing of sulphide saturation in evolving magma systems. Eliminating barren suites as exploration targets will save Australia’s exploration dollars which can be directed to where the prospects of success are greatest.Read moreRead less
The supergiant Olympic Dam uranium-copper-gold rare earth element ore deposit: towards a new genetic model. This project will be focused on temporal and spatial relationships between crustal and mantle rocks, melts and fluids, associated with development of the Olympic Dam uranium-copper-gold rare earth element ore deposit, the largest on the planet.
Global Scale Cycling of Noble Gases and Halogens. A novel approach for combined measurement of halogens and noble gases will be used to provide the first constraints on the concentrations of these elements in key reservoirs within subduction zones. The data will revolutionise our understanding of how noble gases and halogens transfer between the Earth's atmosphere and mantle, which has profound implications for our planet's origin and evolution. In addition, the study will provide practical info ....Global Scale Cycling of Noble Gases and Halogens. A novel approach for combined measurement of halogens and noble gases will be used to provide the first constraints on the concentrations of these elements in key reservoirs within subduction zones. The data will revolutionise our understanding of how noble gases and halogens transfer between the Earth's atmosphere and mantle, which has profound implications for our planet's origin and evolution. In addition, the study will provide practical information about how economically important hydrothermal ore deposits form on the seafloor and it will test models for orogenic gold mineralisation. Read moreRead less
Identifying the secular evolution of chemical heterogeneity in the mantle as probed by deep mantle plumes. This project aims to focus on modes and timescales of melting associated with deep mantle plumes. These melts form massive magmatic bodies and volcanic flood basalt provinces throughout Earth’s history and record the secular chemical evolution of the Earth’s mantle. Selective igneous bodies contain high-grade noble metal deposits and coincide with global mass extinction linked to anoxic oce ....Identifying the secular evolution of chemical heterogeneity in the mantle as probed by deep mantle plumes. This project aims to focus on modes and timescales of melting associated with deep mantle plumes. These melts form massive magmatic bodies and volcanic flood basalt provinces throughout Earth’s history and record the secular chemical evolution of the Earth’s mantle. Selective igneous bodies contain high-grade noble metal deposits and coincide with global mass extinction linked to anoxic ocean events in response to atmospheric volcanic pollution. This project aims to provide knowledge of planetary surface evolution in response to mantle dynamics, place constraints on enrichment processes of metals in ore quality in plume-derived melts, and may help understandings of the relation between massive volcanic eruptions and climate variability.Read moreRead less
Experiments to quantify the geochemical behaviour of the precious metals. This project aims to measure the high-temperature geochemical properties of the precious metals, which include gold, silver and the platinum group elements. The measurements are needed to quantify the partitioning of the precious metals between silicate melts and metal or sulfide, which would enable their distinctive geochemical properties to be applied to the testing of current hypotheses on how Earth formed, the composit ....Experiments to quantify the geochemical behaviour of the precious metals. This project aims to measure the high-temperature geochemical properties of the precious metals, which include gold, silver and the platinum group elements. The measurements are needed to quantify the partitioning of the precious metals between silicate melts and metal or sulfide, which would enable their distinctive geochemical properties to be applied to the testing of current hypotheses on how Earth formed, the composition of Earth's mantle through time, the relationship of Earth to the Moon, and the evolution of magmatic systems to form copper-gold deposits. The measurements have become feasible due to newly developed experimental and analytical methods, which avoid the problems that have bedevilled previous attempts.Read moreRead less
Four dimensional lithospheric evolution and controls on mineral system distribution in Neoarchean to Paleoproterozoic terranes. This project will resolve important questions about the links between the evolution and preservation of continents and important mineral deposits in Australia and West Africa between 2.7 and 1.8 billion years ago. The results will improve the understanding of a key period of Earth history and make a major contribution to mineral exploration.
Continents in the Mantle Transition Zone? Sediment Recycling and the Geochemical Fertilization of the Deep Mantle. Because of its intrinsic compositional buoyancy, continental crust has traditionally been considered to be unsubductable in the denser underlying mantle. Yet some ocean island basalts carry a geochemical signature of recycled continental material in their plume source in the deep mantle. This project will reconcile this paradox through high-pressure experiments that will simulate su ....Continents in the Mantle Transition Zone? Sediment Recycling and the Geochemical Fertilization of the Deep Mantle. Because of its intrinsic compositional buoyancy, continental crust has traditionally been considered to be unsubductable in the denser underlying mantle. Yet some ocean island basalts carry a geochemical signature of recycled continental material in their plume source in the deep mantle. This project will reconcile this paradox through high-pressure experiments that will simulate subduction of continental sediments into the deep mantle. These experiments will provide the first empirical constraints on the role of sediment-derived fluids in mantle metasomatism and the origin of economically-rich potassic magmas, and the nature of the ultrarefractory continental component that ultimately reaches the plume source for ocean-island basalts.Read moreRead less
A melt inclusions pursuit into the identity of carbonatite magmas and their economic potential. The project will focus on close connections between mantle carbonate-rich magmas and the accumulation of rare metals and diamonds in the crust. This study is in an internationally competitive field, will educate young geoscientists in the use of modern research methods and will benefit the Australian communities and economy.