Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE200100086
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$420,000.00
Summary
Rapid Deployment Seismic Recorders for Interdisciplinary Antarctic Research. We aim to establish an Antarctic-based set of seismic instruments, a mobile facility, to provide data to help predict how ice sheets will evolve and how the continent under the ice sheets will respond to changes in ice load. Our approach to tackling such significant questions is innovative, and makes use of newly available, rapid deployment instruments that may be deployed in ice by a small team with light logistics. ....Rapid Deployment Seismic Recorders for Interdisciplinary Antarctic Research. We aim to establish an Antarctic-based set of seismic instruments, a mobile facility, to provide data to help predict how ice sheets will evolve and how the continent under the ice sheets will respond to changes in ice load. Our approach to tackling such significant questions is innovative, and makes use of newly available, rapid deployment instruments that may be deployed in ice by a small team with light logistics. Outcomes will include maps of sub-ice sediments and 3D images of the deep Earth. The facility will thus enable new knowledge relating to major ice sheets. Interdisciplinary use of the research will benefit Australia through an improved ability to plan for future sea level rise in areas with large coastal populations.Read moreRead less
Eruption and disruption: how Earth’s deep interior and surface communicate. Massive volcanic eruptions are a fundamental part of the Earth System, responsible for globally disruptive events, from airspace disturbance, to extinction of the dinosaurs. This project will reveal relationships between hot, deep sources of volcanic material, and the tectonic processes at the Earth's surface. Expected outcomes of this project include assembling an unprecedented set of new observations from underwater vo ....Eruption and disruption: how Earth’s deep interior and surface communicate. Massive volcanic eruptions are a fundamental part of the Earth System, responsible for globally disruptive events, from airspace disturbance, to extinction of the dinosaurs. This project will reveal relationships between hot, deep sources of volcanic material, and the tectonic processes at the Earth's surface. Expected outcomes of this project include assembling an unprecedented set of new observations from underwater volcanoes offshore Eastern Australia, and the development of innovative geodynamic models of how the deep Earth interacts with the surface to form these volcanoes. This will provide significant benefits by advancing our understanding of the deep Earth, and its impact on Earth’s surface, natural hazards, and mineral systems.Read moreRead less
The magnetisation of Earth’s lithosphere: a new view from space. Earth’s magnetic field is an invaluable resource for studying the structure and dynamics of our planet, yet the full nature of Earth's magnetisation remains poorly understood. This project will uncover the dominant sources of magnetisation close to Earth's surface using next-generation satellite data and recent theoretical advances. Expected outcomes include the development of innovative models of lithospheric magnetisation that wi ....The magnetisation of Earth’s lithosphere: a new view from space. Earth’s magnetic field is an invaluable resource for studying the structure and dynamics of our planet, yet the full nature of Earth's magnetisation remains poorly understood. This project will uncover the dominant sources of magnetisation close to Earth's surface using next-generation satellite data and recent theoretical advances. Expected outcomes include the development of innovative models of lithospheric magnetisation that will be used to gain crucial insights into the dynamic evolution of our planet's crust and uppermost mantle. The benefits of the project address both economic and environmental issues, unravelling the nature of structures that control both mineral systems and heat flow variations beneath the Antarctic ice sheet. Read moreRead less
The global consequences of subduction zone congestion. This project will use a combination of 3D geodynamic modelling, plate kinematic reconstruction and geological and geophysical synthesis to determine how congested subduction zones influence plate kinematics, subduction dynamics and tectonic evolution at orogen and global scales. The project aims to deliver a transformation change in understanding the links between congested subduction, mantle flow, trench migration, crustal growth, transitio ....The global consequences of subduction zone congestion. This project will use a combination of 3D geodynamic modelling, plate kinematic reconstruction and geological and geophysical synthesis to determine how congested subduction zones influence plate kinematics, subduction dynamics and tectonic evolution at orogen and global scales. The project aims to deliver a transformation change in understanding the links between congested subduction, mantle flow, trench migration, crustal growth, transitions between stable convergent margin configurations and deformation in the overriding plates of subduction zones. Determining these relationships is significant because it will provide dynamic context to interpret the geological record of ancient convergent margins, which host a large percentage of Earth's metal resources.Read moreRead less
Detecting change in the outlet glaciers of East Antarctica using seismology. This work aims to establish a way of detecting change in the great outlet glaciers of East Antarctica by analysing the small vibrations made by moving water or by cracking and sliding ice. Change in these glaciers is very significant because they hold back over 10 m of potential future sea level rise, but many melt and movement processes are hidden from satellite view. Expected outcomes include a semi-automated approa ....Detecting change in the outlet glaciers of East Antarctica using seismology. This work aims to establish a way of detecting change in the great outlet glaciers of East Antarctica by analysing the small vibrations made by moving water or by cracking and sliding ice. Change in these glaciers is very significant because they hold back over 10 m of potential future sea level rise, but many melt and movement processes are hidden from satellite view. Expected outcomes include a semi-automated approach for remote area glacier monitoring using seismic signals, and recommendations for cost-effective future instrument deployments in key areas of East Antarctica. The new capability will be world-leading and pragmatic, enabling the risks of accelerated future coastal inundation affecting Australia to be better anticipated.Read moreRead less
Establishing the reference frame using astronomical and space-geodetic observations. Australia is increasingly dependent on spatial positioning and spatial data, yet mostly relies upon international agencies and research organisations to provide regular updates of coordinates and reference frame definition used on Earth. Improving the accuracy of the reference frame definition and our understanding of errors in the space-based measurements will provide new insights for studies of the Earth. The ....Establishing the reference frame using astronomical and space-geodetic observations. Australia is increasingly dependent on spatial positioning and spatial data, yet mostly relies upon international agencies and research organisations to provide regular updates of coordinates and reference frame definition used on Earth. Improving the accuracy of the reference frame definition and our understanding of errors in the space-based measurements will provide new insights for studies of the Earth. The research will yield results in studies of national significance, such as sea level rise, the effects of melting polar regions, and crustal deformation, as well as developing Australia's expertise in exploiting observations of the Earth from space.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
Southern Ocean storms and noise sources from Australian seismic array recordings. Storm severity in the Southern Ocean - is it increasing? This project will investigate storminess using decades of seismic records from Australian stations, adding unique data for remote ocean areas with no direct weather observations, with profound implications for the global climate system.
Beneath Bass Strait: linking Tasmania and mainland Australia using a novel seismic experiment. A new low-cost approach based on background seismic energy and earthquake recordings will be used to construct three-dimensional maps of the deep structure beneath Bass Strait. Understanding the broad scale geology of southeast Australia is of national importance because the area is host to an abundance of petroleum, geothermal and mineral resources.
Improving Signal Detection Range of Active Seismic Monitoring in Mines. This project will develop a new generation of sensors that will process incoming seismic waves from an active source to accurately estimate the properties of underground rock mass in real time. This will lead to safer mining operations that will decrease the number of injuries and deaths. A probability graph model will be used to fuse measurements from different sensors to produce more accurate estimates of the rock mass. A ....Improving Signal Detection Range of Active Seismic Monitoring in Mines. This project will develop a new generation of sensors that will process incoming seismic waves from an active source to accurately estimate the properties of underground rock mass in real time. This will lead to safer mining operations that will decrease the number of injuries and deaths. A probability graph model will be used to fuse measurements from different sensors to produce more accurate estimates of the rock mass. A new low-cost seismic source will excite large areas of rock mass for continuous monitoring of the changes in stress and fracture density caused by mining. This will lead to methodologies that will significantly improve mining operations and increase Australia’s productivity in the mining sector.Read moreRead less