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.
Indo-Australian Plate Active Tectonics Program. The Indo-Australian Plate Active Tectonics Program investigates fundamental questions in geodynamics using the unique record of landscape evolution in Australia. In this project the origin of iconic landscapes such as the Lake Eyre Basin and the Flinders Ranges will be addressed to explore the nature of the couplings between surface deformation and flow in the upper mantle, and between surface processes and tectonic activity.
A unified model for the closure dynamics of ancient Tethys constrained by geodesy, structural geology, argon geochronology and tectonic reconstruction. The project will elucidate complex planetary dynamics involved in the interaction of the oceanic plates with the continental crust. Such aspects underpin the ability of geoscientists to effectively simulate and model, impacting on issues ranging from forecasting earthquakes to how to conduct greenfields exploration for energy and mineral resource ....A unified model for the closure dynamics of ancient Tethys constrained by geodesy, structural geology, argon geochronology and tectonic reconstruction. The project will elucidate complex planetary dynamics involved in the interaction of the oceanic plates with the continental crust. Such aspects underpin the ability of geoscientists to effectively simulate and model, impacting on issues ranging from forecasting earthquakes to how to conduct greenfields exploration for energy and mineral resources.Read moreRead less
Supercells and the supercontinent cycle. This is a new approach to understanding how the Earth works, at a global-scale and billion-year perspective. In particular it seeks to understand why continents come together as supercontinents, then drift away again. The work has implications for copper-gold exploration on the Australian continent because it has relevant predictive capacity.
Multiscale dynamics of ore body formation. Future discoveries of giant ore-bodies will undoubtedly be under surface cover. Modelling of new data from South Australia and Western Australia will define targeting criteria for new major ore-bodies, thus exploiting Australia's deep earth resource potential. New understanding of controls on mineralisation decrease exploration risk. Ore-bodies, such as Olympic Dam, have made major contributions to Australia's economy over past decades and promise to ad ....Multiscale dynamics of ore body formation. Future discoveries of giant ore-bodies will undoubtedly be under surface cover. Modelling of new data from South Australia and Western Australia will define targeting criteria for new major ore-bodies, thus exploiting Australia's deep earth resource potential. New understanding of controls on mineralisation decrease exploration risk. Ore-bodies, such as Olympic Dam, have made major contributions to Australia's economy over past decades and promise to add increased value over future decades. This project enhances the probability that at least one other ore-body of this type will be discovered. Such discoveries contribute directly to the wealth of Australia through export earnings and accelerate the development of regional infrastructure and new technological development.Read moreRead less
The Cenozoic tectonic evolution of East and Southeast Asia: interplay between the India-Eurasia collision and the Pacific and Sunda subduction zones. This project investigates how the Indo-Australian and Pacific tectonic plates have interacted with the Eurasian plate to form the largest continental deformation zone on Earth in East Asia, stretching from the Himalayas to Indonesia and eastern Siberia. This is important for understanding how mountain ranges form and how continents are torn apart.
ARC Centre of Excellence for Core to Crust Fluid Systems. Water is essential for human existence, indeed for life's beginning. The circulation of water between the surface and the deep interior lubricates the internal dynamics that keep Earth geologically alive; it is crucial to most Earth systems, including the evolution of the hydrospher/atmosphere/biosphere, and the development of giant ore deposits. However, the origin, abundance, speciation and movements of fluids inside Earth are largely u ....ARC Centre of Excellence for Core to Crust Fluid Systems. Water is essential for human existence, indeed for life's beginning. The circulation of water between the surface and the deep interior lubricates the internal dynamics that keep Earth geologically alive; it is crucial to most Earth systems, including the evolution of the hydrospher/atmosphere/biosphere, and the development of giant ore deposits. However, the origin, abundance, speciation and movements of fluids inside Earth are largely unknown, and represent key issues in modern geoscience. This CoE will integrate previously disparate fields - geology, tectonics, geochemistry, petrophysics, geophysics and dynamic modelling - to understand the workings of Earth's deep plumbing system.Read moreRead less
How the Earth moves: Developing a novel seismological approach to map the small-scale dynamics of the upper mantle. The concept of small-scale convection currents from about 100-400 km below the Earth’s surface is a model proposed to explain the origins of intraplate volcanoes and mountains. However, direct evidence for the physical reality of small-scale convection cells is generally weak. This project will develop a novel seismological approach combining both ambient noise and earthquake data ....How the Earth moves: Developing a novel seismological approach to map the small-scale dynamics of the upper mantle. The concept of small-scale convection currents from about 100-400 km below the Earth’s surface is a model proposed to explain the origins of intraplate volcanoes and mountains. However, direct evidence for the physical reality of small-scale convection cells is generally weak. This project will develop a novel seismological approach combining both ambient noise and earthquake data that can image such small-scale upper mantle convection. The outcomes of this project will help to fill the gap left in the Plate Tectonic paradigm by its inability to explain intraplate geological activity (volcanoes, earthquakes, mountains), which would be a significant step towards unifying conceptual models about how the Earth works.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE140101710
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$381,620.00
Summary
Investigating the formation of the continents: Ontong Java Plateau as a modern day analogue. The formation of the continents has been obscured by billions of years of history. It has been proposed that the Ontong Java Plateau is a modern day analogue for the continents. The Ontong Java Plateau is a huge submerged volcanic edifice, half the size of Australia. This project will seismically image the interior of the Earth beneath the Ontong Java Plateau and use these images as constraints to develo ....Investigating the formation of the continents: Ontong Java Plateau as a modern day analogue. The formation of the continents has been obscured by billions of years of history. It has been proposed that the Ontong Java Plateau is a modern day analogue for the continents. The Ontong Java Plateau is a huge submerged volcanic edifice, half the size of Australia. This project will seismically image the interior of the Earth beneath the Ontong Java Plateau and use these images as constraints to develop a model for its origin and evolution. This work has implications for understanding the formation of the continents and the factors that have enabled their stability for billions of years. A better understanding of continent formation may benefit Australia by yielding insights into economic resources, plate tectonics and geohazards.Read moreRead less
Ore deposits and tectonic evolution of the Lachlan Orogen, SE Australia. Ore deposits and tectonic evolution of the Lachlan Orogen, SE Australia. This project aims to develop and test models to evaluate past tectonic processes and configurations in South-east Australia, using both new and existing geological, geophysical and isotopic data. Over the past 550 million years, plate tectonic processes have formed metal-rich mineral deposits in South-east Australia. The project will identify areas of ....Ore deposits and tectonic evolution of the Lachlan Orogen, SE Australia. Ore deposits and tectonic evolution of the Lachlan Orogen, SE Australia. This project aims to develop and test models to evaluate past tectonic processes and configurations in South-east Australia, using both new and existing geological, geophysical and isotopic data. Over the past 550 million years, plate tectonic processes have formed metal-rich mineral deposits in South-east Australia. The project will identify areas of high potential for economically valuable ore deposits, enabling more efficient prioritisation of mineral exploration efforts. This is expected to increase the probability of significant ore deposit discoveries leading to national economic benefit.Read moreRead less