Crustal-Scale Fluid Flow in Deep Intracontinental Settings: Conditions, Sources and Deformational Responses. Fluids are important agents of heat and mass transport in the Earth's crust. They play a key role in the mobilisation of metals and as such play a crucial role in the generation of ore deposits. The outcomes of this project will result in a greater understanding of the mechanisms and sources of fluid generation and mobilisation in deep-crustal settings. These outcomes can be related direc ....Crustal-Scale Fluid Flow in Deep Intracontinental Settings: Conditions, Sources and Deformational Responses. Fluids are important agents of heat and mass transport in the Earth's crust. They play a key role in the mobilisation of metals and as such play a crucial role in the generation of ore deposits. The outcomes of this project will result in a greater understanding of the mechanisms and sources of fluid generation and mobilisation in deep-crustal settings. These outcomes can be related directly to the understanding of the controls on the transport and deposition of metals and hence the formation of mineral resources which are vital to maintaining a strong Australian economy.Read moreRead less
Hidden geochemical treasure: apatite inclusions in zircon. This project aims to undertake high precision measurements of the isotopic composition of tiny apatite inclusions in the mineral zircon. This project will create a new isotopic data set to combine with age and isotope data for the host zircons in order to study the formation and evolution of the Earth's crust. Primary apatite inclusions represent a previously untapped treasury of pristine geochemical information made accessible by the la ....Hidden geochemical treasure: apatite inclusions in zircon. This project aims to undertake high precision measurements of the isotopic composition of tiny apatite inclusions in the mineral zircon. This project will create a new isotopic data set to combine with age and isotope data for the host zircons in order to study the formation and evolution of the Earth's crust. Primary apatite inclusions represent a previously untapped treasury of pristine geochemical information made accessible by the latest advances in micro-analytical and imaging technology. This information will be used to test models for the timing of formation of the first continents, to map continental growth over time, and to evaluate the origins of the Earth's oldest rocks and minerals and the environmental conditions on the early Earth.Read moreRead less
Biogeochemical characterisation of Archaean microfossils, biomarkers and organic matter: Probing the nature and diversity of early life on Earth. Recognizing biological signatures in ancient rocks poses the single greatest challenge to our understanding of the origin and evolution of life. This Project will use new advanced technology to reveal when and where life first appeared and assess its impact on the environment, atmosphere and climate. Results are essential for understanding the transfor ....Biogeochemical characterisation of Archaean microfossils, biomarkers and organic matter: Probing the nature and diversity of early life on Earth. Recognizing biological signatures in ancient rocks poses the single greatest challenge to our understanding of the origin and evolution of life. This Project will use new advanced technology to reveal when and where life first appeared and assess its impact on the environment, atmosphere and climate. Results are essential for understanding the transformation of our planet into a suitable habitat for humankind. The work will place Australia among world leaders in one of the most exciting topics of current scientific research, raising Australia's reputation in this high profile and competitive field. The Project tackles profound questions and seeks to attract, inspire and train future scientists in an ideal location and research environment.Read moreRead less
Chronostratigraphic, molecular and isotopic approaches to age petroleum. The project aims to reduce the costs of drilling in deep-water offshore by better identifying potential drilling sites. The North-West shelf offshore Australia is the main supplier of liquefied natural gas. However, there is uncertainty about the age of petroleum (oil and gas) discovered in the region. It is not currently possible to constrain an age of fluids to a number of source rocks. The aims are to develop a high-leve ....Chronostratigraphic, molecular and isotopic approaches to age petroleum. The project aims to reduce the costs of drilling in deep-water offshore by better identifying potential drilling sites. The North-West shelf offshore Australia is the main supplier of liquefied natural gas. However, there is uncertainty about the age of petroleum (oil and gas) discovered in the region. It is not currently possible to constrain an age of fluids to a number of source rocks. The aims are to develop a high-level age discriminative tool for fluids. An interdisciplinary approach will be applied using state-of-the-art techniques including comprehensive two dimensional gas chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometry, compound specific isotope analysis of hydrocarbons, clumped isotopes of methane and metagenomics.Read moreRead less
Investigation of the early history of the moon. The project will address outstanding questions related to the early evolution of planets in the solar system, including the earth, by investigating major events that took place on the moon, where the record of early history is preserved exceptionally well. It will test major models describing the chemical evolution of both the moon and earth.
The Impact of Changing Climatic Conditions inferred from the Isotope Abundances of Trace Metals in Global Ice Sheets and Glaciers. In this project Greenland and Antarctic ice-cores more than 3 km long will be used to investigate climatic variation extending back more that 4 complete glacial cycles. Some of these ice-cores include sections of refrozen water formed from sub-glacial Antarctic lake water. This project will use naturally occurring lead and strontium isotopic tracers to fingerprint ....The Impact of Changing Climatic Conditions inferred from the Isotope Abundances of Trace Metals in Global Ice Sheets and Glaciers. In this project Greenland and Antarctic ice-cores more than 3 km long will be used to investigate climatic variation extending back more that 4 complete glacial cycles. Some of these ice-cores include sections of refrozen water formed from sub-glacial Antarctic lake water. This project will use naturally occurring lead and strontium isotopic tracers to fingerprint impurities in the ice, because they have the potential to simultaneously signal the timing and location of past episodes of climate change. This will lead to an improvement in our understanding of the processes that cause these changes.Read moreRead less
Advancing Mineral Exploration Models for Orogenic Gold Deposits. This interdisciplinary project links geochemistry with crustal-scale fluid migration, aiming to improve mineral exploration success for orogenic gold deposits. In doing so, it intends to provide a more holistic view of gold deposit genesis. This project plans to focus on the Victorian goldfields, which have world-class historic gold production, an existing seismic transect, and a geologic setting that will address key problems in g ....Advancing Mineral Exploration Models for Orogenic Gold Deposits. This interdisciplinary project links geochemistry with crustal-scale fluid migration, aiming to improve mineral exploration success for orogenic gold deposits. In doing so, it intends to provide a more holistic view of gold deposit genesis. This project plans to focus on the Victorian goldfields, which have world-class historic gold production, an existing seismic transect, and a geologic setting that will address key problems in gold deposit genesis. A series of modelling techniques will be used to marry structural and geochemical aspects of gold deposit formation at a scale that has not been previously attempted.Read moreRead less
Stable carbon isotope compositions and distributions of age-diagnostic molecular fossils in Indonesian oils and source rocks for oil-source correlations. The project aims to develop a novel organic geochemical tool for determining a reliable geological age of sedimentary organic matter. The method involves measuring stable carbon isotope signatures of age-specific molecular fossils derived from land plants. To obtain accurate signatures separation techniques focusing on the compounds of interest ....Stable carbon isotope compositions and distributions of age-diagnostic molecular fossils in Indonesian oils and source rocks for oil-source correlations. The project aims to develop a novel organic geochemical tool for determining a reliable geological age of sedimentary organic matter. The method involves measuring stable carbon isotope signatures of age-specific molecular fossils derived from land plants. To obtain accurate signatures separation techniques focusing on the compounds of interest will be developed. The application of this approach in oil to source rock correlations has promise in petroleum basin studies, especially exploration, as evidenced by the strong support from Unocal. It is antipicated that the outcomes of this research will be valuable to other petroleum provinces (especially within Australia).
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