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Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE110100047
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$420,000.00
Summary
Events through time: eruptions, extinctions, impacts, ore-bodies and orogenies - upgrading the national argon geochronology network. Nine universities and the CSIRO will replace aged and obsolete equipment with new mass spectrometers which will be strategically placed at opposite ends of our continent to improve access for Australian researchers to these instruments for which there is high demand. These instruments will allow more exact dating of events such as eruptions, impacts, climate change ....Events through time: eruptions, extinctions, impacts, ore-bodies and orogenies - upgrading the national argon geochronology network. Nine universities and the CSIRO will replace aged and obsolete equipment with new mass spectrometers which will be strategically placed at opposite ends of our continent to improve access for Australian researchers to these instruments for which there is high demand. These instruments will allow more exact dating of events such as eruptions, impacts, climate change, biological extinctions, mineral deposits and mountain building.Read moreRead less
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.
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
The Missing link in the Tasmanides: evaluating tectonic evolution and resource exploration potential of the southern Thomson Fold belt. Understanding the Thomson Orogen, a geological region which straddles the New South Wales and Queensland border, is critical for developing geodynamic models for the evolution of eastern Australia, and assessing resource potential. However, it lies under the Great Artesian Basin. This project focusses on ground truthing geophysical acquisition studies using dril ....The Missing link in the Tasmanides: evaluating tectonic evolution and resource exploration potential of the southern Thomson Fold belt. Understanding the Thomson Orogen, a geological region which straddles the New South Wales and Queensland border, is critical for developing geodynamic models for the evolution of eastern Australia, and assessing resource potential. However, it lies under the Great Artesian Basin. This project focusses on ground truthing geophysical acquisition studies using drill core from a targeted drilling program, designed to maximise the available tectono-stratigraphic information. The outcome intends to be a 3D geological map of the region, which can be interrogated for mineral exploration targeting, and from which 4D evolutionary geodynamic models of eastern Australian can be integrated.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE130100219
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$150,000.00
Summary
A modern, high-tech mineral separation facility for geochemistry and isotope science. This project will support geoscience research in Western Australia that incorporates a new conservative way of fragmenting rocks to their constituent grains. The facility will provide mineral samples for discovery science and for applied research for the minerals and petroleum industries.
Deciphering the tectonic record of the early Earth. This project aims to decipher how and why plate tectonics emerged, and how any precursor tectonic system modulated planetary heat loss. The project expects to generate new knowledge regarding the tectonic record of the early Earth using pressure–temperature–age constraints from truly ancient (2.8–4.0 billion year old) metamorphosed rocks worldwide. Expected outcomes of this collaborative international project include the development of a concep ....Deciphering the tectonic record of the early Earth. This project aims to decipher how and why plate tectonics emerged, and how any precursor tectonic system modulated planetary heat loss. The project expects to generate new knowledge regarding the tectonic record of the early Earth using pressure–temperature–age constraints from truly ancient (2.8–4.0 billion year old) metamorphosed rocks worldwide. Expected outcomes of this collaborative international project include the development of a conceptual geodynamic model for the early Earth. This should provide significant benefits in permitting a better understanding of the where and why of Australia’s natural resources, in training a new generation of Earth system scientists, and in broadening public awareness of fundamental Earth science.
Read moreRead less
Garnet speed dating: Innovation for fast tectonic problem solving. This project aims to develop and apply a novel way to rapidly date the mineral garnet within rocks using the analytical technique of laser ablation mass spectrometry to calculate Lutetium-Hafnium ages. Garnet is the most important mineral we have to determine the depths of burial and the temperatures rocks experienced during the tectonic processes that shaped the continents. Our novel in situ laser ablation method will allow ga ....Garnet speed dating: Innovation for fast tectonic problem solving. This project aims to develop and apply a novel way to rapidly date the mineral garnet within rocks using the analytical technique of laser ablation mass spectrometry to calculate Lutetium-Hafnium ages. Garnet is the most important mineral we have to determine the depths of burial and the temperatures rocks experienced during the tectonic processes that shaped the continents. Our novel in situ laser ablation method will allow garnet to be rapidly and easily dated, permitting routine collection of large age datasets for tectonic problem solving. It will also offer a rapid means to determine ages of garnet-bearing rocks across prospective mineral exploration regions, providing explorers with key exploration data.Read moreRead less
Consequences of extraterrestrial impacts on the biosphere and geosphere. This project will investigate whether high-velocity meteorite impacts can account for the Earth's mass extinctions and whether meteorite impacts and mass extinctions were synchronous. This work will help scientists understand the long-term climatic and biologic effects of massive injections of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
Diamonds – Time Capsules of Ancient Mantle Volatiles and the Key to Dynamic Earth Evolution. This project aims to reconcile the radically different views on the structure of the Earth’s mantle, based on geochemical (mostly noble gas) and geophysical data. This objective will be addressed through innovative noble gas analyses of well-characterised diamond samples, including gem-stones used for previous dating studies. In combination with carbon isotopic results, this information will be used to c ....Diamonds – Time Capsules of Ancient Mantle Volatiles and the Key to Dynamic Earth Evolution. This project aims to reconcile the radically different views on the structure of the Earth’s mantle, based on geochemical (mostly noble gas) and geophysical data. This objective will be addressed through innovative noble gas analyses of well-characterised diamond samples, including gem-stones used for previous dating studies. In combination with carbon isotopic results, this information will be used to constrain the structure and temporal/spatial evolution of the Earth’s mantle. A related outcome will be an improved understanding of the mantle source regions of diamonds and diamond formation.Read moreRead less