Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE140100376
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$389,339.00
Summary
The role of mantle plumes in driving plate tectonics and continental margin evolution. Plumes of molten rock rise from deep within the Earth resulting in massive surface eruptions that can lead to global mass extinction events. Despite their size, the role plumes play in driving movements of the continents is poorly understood. This project combines independent global and Australian geological and geophysical data with open software systems to link deep Earth and surface geological processes. Th ....The role of mantle plumes in driving plate tectonics and continental margin evolution. Plumes of molten rock rise from deep within the Earth resulting in massive surface eruptions that can lead to global mass extinction events. Despite their size, the role plumes play in driving movements of the continents is poorly understood. This project combines independent global and Australian geological and geophysical data with open software systems to link deep Earth and surface geological processes. This approach will result in a clearer understanding of how the internal workings of our planet drive, and interact with, surface geological processes. The project will also show how these interactions shape the environmentally important, and resources rich, continental margins and ocean basins.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE120102245
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
Comparison of early mesozoic sedimentary provenances of both sides of the YarlungTsangpo suture zone and the evolution of the neotethys. This project aims to develop a new, more geologically-consistent evolution of the Neotethys and test the affinity of southern Lhasa terrane with Australian terranes. The work will provide new constraints on the early evolution of the Himalayan-Tibetan continental collision.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE140100553
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$392,570.00
Summary
Exploring links between climate change, ocean chemistry, and the rise of multicellular life: The Ediacaran sedimentary record of central Australia. For most of Earth’s history, single-celled organisms were the only forms of life on the planet. Not until roughly 600 million years ago do fossils of multicellular animals appear in the rock record. Explanations for the Ediacaran rise of multicellularity include extreme climate change, meteorite impact and oxygenation of the global ocean. Evaluation ....Exploring links between climate change, ocean chemistry, and the rise of multicellular life: The Ediacaran sedimentary record of central Australia. For most of Earth’s history, single-celled organisms were the only forms of life on the planet. Not until roughly 600 million years ago do fossils of multicellular animals appear in the rock record. Explanations for the Ediacaran rise of multicellularity include extreme climate change, meteorite impact and oxygenation of the global ocean. Evaluation of these hypotheses is complicated by the fact that stratigraphic records that span the appropriate time interval are rare. This project is focused on the carbon, oxygen, and zinc isotopic records preserved by Ediacaran marine rocks in the Amadeus Basin of central Australia. Results will contribute to a more complete record of fluctuations in ocean chemistry during a key interval of Earth history.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
Tectonic geography of the world's oldest petroleum play, the McArthur Basin. This projects aims to develop a 4D tectonic geography framework to support the effective exploration of the McArthur Basin. This project will construct this by a) investigating the evolving tectonic setting, b) examining intra-basin correlations and trace the source to sink sediment provenance, c) unraveling the depositional geography using novel isotopic proxies, and, d) constructing the subsequent thermal history of ....Tectonic geography of the world's oldest petroleum play, the McArthur Basin. This projects aims to develop a 4D tectonic geography framework to support the effective exploration of the McArthur Basin. This project will construct this by a) investigating the evolving tectonic setting, b) examining intra-basin correlations and trace the source to sink sediment provenance, c) unraveling the depositional geography using novel isotopic proxies, and, d) constructing the subsequent thermal history of the basin. The techniques developed through this project will de-risk the exploration for petroleum in this basin, and be applicable in opening up Proterozoic petroleum elsewhere in Australia and internationally.Read moreRead less
Evolution of Proterozoic multistage rift basins – key to mineral systems. This project will deliver a new quantitative and integrated exploratory framework for the mineral industry in Australia’s frontier sedimentary basins by integrating the latest advances in laboratory experimental tectonics with thermo-mechanical numerical, surface process and geophysical modelling. The project will use northern Australian basins as a natural laboratory to address the fundamental processes involved in the de ....Evolution of Proterozoic multistage rift basins – key to mineral systems. This project will deliver a new quantitative and integrated exploratory framework for the mineral industry in Australia’s frontier sedimentary basins by integrating the latest advances in laboratory experimental tectonics with thermo-mechanical numerical, surface process and geophysical modelling. The project will use northern Australian basins as a natural laboratory to address the fundamental processes involved in the development of sedimentary ore systems. The project will investigate how they can be detected by modern exploration techniques using a multidisciplinary approach with a team of experts with backgrounds in mineral and petroleum systems. Read moreRead less
Multiple vertical tectonic movements in a continental interior: consequences of flat-subduction and foundering of an oceanic plateau? This project will investigate how the subduction of particularly thick oceanic crust impacts on the landscape, climate, structure and composition of the adjacent continent. It will help in understanding the history and distribution of mineral and hydrocarbon resources, of similar provinces in Australia.