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Dating the aboriginal rock art sequence of the Kimberley in north west Australia. This project aims to develop a robust time scale for the known aboriginal rock art sequence in the Kimberley, Western Australia (WA). The project will use new knowledge of complex processes on sandstone surfaces across the north Kimberley, and an innovative combination of four scientific dating methods developed through our earlier work. The project expects to provide a well-dated sequence for Kimberley rock art ba ....Dating the aboriginal rock art sequence of the Kimberley in north west Australia. This project aims to develop a robust time scale for the known aboriginal rock art sequence in the Kimberley, Western Australia (WA). The project will use new knowledge of complex processes on sandstone surfaces across the north Kimberley, and an innovative combination of four scientific dating methods developed through our earlier work. The project expects to provide a well-dated sequence for Kimberley rock art based on replication of results, confirmation across different methods, and a large interdisciplinary data set. The project will allow rigorous analysis of the relationship between dating results and rock art styles that has not previously been possible, and give new insights into Australia’s deep indigenous heritage. This will have a significant impact for future efforts in rock art conservation, and lay a foundation for cultural tourism, with important benefits for the local economy and health of regional indigenous communities.Read moreRead less
Unraveling the geology of Mars. This project aims to use a suite of innovative conceptual and technical tools that target specific weaknesses in existing Mars exploration programs – where comparatively modest investment could deliver transformative change in one of the largest global research efforts, on which current expenditure is in billions of dollars. The project expects to provide context for the geologic processes that affected Mars. Expected outcomes include a better understanding of the ....Unraveling the geology of Mars. This project aims to use a suite of innovative conceptual and technical tools that target specific weaknesses in existing Mars exploration programs – where comparatively modest investment could deliver transformative change in one of the largest global research efforts, on which current expenditure is in billions of dollars. The project expects to provide context for the geologic processes that affected Mars. Expected outcomes include a better understanding of the habitability and geological history of Mars as well as facilitating both future mission landing site selection and providing context for comparison to the early history of Earth.Read moreRead less
Uncovering the Chronology of Mars. This project aims to answer fundamental questions about the origin and evolution of the solar system by utilizing innovative machine learning techniques developed by our group. Starting with Mars, we will interrogate the highest resolution image data to automatically generate the ultimate resolution global age map. The expected outcomes of this project include determining the absolute ages of geologic processes on Mars to deliver a groundbreaking look at the ge ....Uncovering the Chronology of Mars. This project aims to answer fundamental questions about the origin and evolution of the solar system by utilizing innovative machine learning techniques developed by our group. Starting with Mars, we will interrogate the highest resolution image data to automatically generate the ultimate resolution global age map. The expected outcomes of this project include determining the absolute ages of geologic processes on Mars to deliver a groundbreaking look at the geology of another planet at the centimeter scale. A major benefit of this project will be enhancing Australia’s role as a leader in space and planetary science through this interdisciplinary, international collaboration across engineering, geology, computing, and chronology.Read moreRead less
A detrital apatite archive to track crustal growth. This project will establish apatite as a new tool to study the evolution of the continental crust. The crust shaped the composition of the atmosphere and the oceans with consequences for the evolution of life through the availability of oxygen and nutrients. However, when and how the continental crust was generated remains a core question. Current models for continental crust development rely on the mineral zircon. However, zircons only record ....A detrital apatite archive to track crustal growth. This project will establish apatite as a new tool to study the evolution of the continental crust. The crust shaped the composition of the atmosphere and the oceans with consequences for the evolution of life through the availability of oxygen and nutrients. However, when and how the continental crust was generated remains a core question. Current models for continental crust development rely on the mineral zircon. However, zircons only record the history of evolved rocks. To address this bias we will use the mineral apatite which forms in less evolved rocks. We will develop a detrital apatite database of Pb-Nd (model) ages and integrate this with the zircon record to provide a more holistic description for how our planet developed.Read moreRead less
Island fauna evolution through deep time: the Flores experiment. This project aims to reveal the evolutionary patterns of insular fauna, including hominins, as exemplified by the island of Flores. Through multidisciplinary analyses of securely dated fossils, artefacts and environmental data spanning 1.4 million years, the project expects to provide a deep and broad reconstruction of faunal adaptations to insular conditions and environmental fluctuations through deep geological time. The signific ....Island fauna evolution through deep time: the Flores experiment. This project aims to reveal the evolutionary patterns of insular fauna, including hominins, as exemplified by the island of Flores. Through multidisciplinary analyses of securely dated fossils, artefacts and environmental data spanning 1.4 million years, the project expects to provide a deep and broad reconstruction of faunal adaptations to insular conditions and environmental fluctuations through deep geological time. The significance of this research includes the first comprehensive testing of hypotheses associated with island dwarfing (where megafauna, over time, become smaller), and providing the first palaeo-ecological context for the only known insular hominin, Homo floresiensis.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE210100044
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$905,654.00
Summary
Ultra-precise dating in Earth, planetary and archaeological science. An advanced facility incorporating next generation, multi-collector mass spectrometer and ultra-clean gas line systems, capable of ultra-precise dating of Earth, planetary and archaeological material. This joint Melbourne-Curtin facility seeks to generate ultra-precise age data from ever smaller and younger samples, such as minute particles from space return missions and tiny inclusions in diamonds. The facility is expected to ....Ultra-precise dating in Earth, planetary and archaeological science. An advanced facility incorporating next generation, multi-collector mass spectrometer and ultra-clean gas line systems, capable of ultra-precise dating of Earth, planetary and archaeological material. This joint Melbourne-Curtin facility seeks to generate ultra-precise age data from ever smaller and younger samples, such as minute particles from space return missions and tiny inclusions in diamonds. The facility is expected to revolutionise noble gas dating techniques, resulting in new knowledge on solar system genesis, hominid evolution, indigenous migrations, palaeo-climate change, natural hazards and ore deposit formation, while further enhancing Australia’s international leadership and competitive advantage in the discipline.
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What goes on inside subduction zones? This project aims to decipher how rocks behave inside subduction zones. Subduction is a central tenant of plate tectonic theory and the project will test the hypothesis rocks can become trapped within giant long-lived eddies that circulate material within subduction zones. This international collaborative project will generate new knowledge regarding the time scales rocks can remain trapped inside subduction zones using pressure–temperature–age constraints f ....What goes on inside subduction zones? This project aims to decipher how rocks behave inside subduction zones. Subduction is a central tenant of plate tectonic theory and the project will test the hypothesis rocks can become trapped within giant long-lived eddies that circulate material within subduction zones. This international collaborative project will generate new knowledge regarding the time scales rocks can remain trapped inside subduction zones using pressure–temperature–age constraints from subducted rocks. We will use this information as a framework for numerical simulations of subduction zone behaviour. The project will provide significant benefits in training a new generation of Earth scientists, and in broadening public awareness of fundamental Earth science.Read moreRead less
Lifting the lid on a supercontinent. This project will reveal the time-integrated growth and collapse of a supercontinental orogen in order to advance knowledge on the influence that mountain-building events have on the cycling of materials between the major near surface Earth reservoirs. Given that this cycling is key to understanding deep-time climate and the formation of mineral resources the outcomes of this study will have important economic benefits for targeting mineral resources and plac ....Lifting the lid on a supercontinent. This project will reveal the time-integrated growth and collapse of a supercontinental orogen in order to advance knowledge on the influence that mountain-building events have on the cycling of materials between the major near surface Earth reservoirs. Given that this cycling is key to understanding deep-time climate and the formation of mineral resources the outcomes of this study will have important economic benefits for targeting mineral resources and placing the geochemical proxies for the deep-time climate in context. Read moreRead less
Jurassic arc? Reconstructing the lost world of Eastern Australia. This project aims to resolve a long-standing enigma about the geological formation of the Great Artesian Basin – Australia’s most important onshore reservoir for groundwater and hydrocarbon resources. Specifically, the project will integrate sedimentological and geochemical studies to investigate the geodynamic configuration of Eastern Australia during the Jurassic Period of basin formation. The intended outcomes are an improved u ....Jurassic arc? Reconstructing the lost world of Eastern Australia. This project aims to resolve a long-standing enigma about the geological formation of the Great Artesian Basin – Australia’s most important onshore reservoir for groundwater and hydrocarbon resources. Specifically, the project will integrate sedimentological and geochemical studies to investigate the geodynamic configuration of Eastern Australia during the Jurassic Period of basin formation. The intended outcomes are an improved understanding of the evolution of the Australian continent and better knowledge of the formation of intercontinental sedimentary basins, which includes better assessment of their potential to contain hydrocarbon resources.Read moreRead less
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.
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