A new approach to understanding the mechanisms and deep crustal controls of continental rifting. This research will directly examine the northern plate boundary of Australia, providing analogues for rift-related crustal processes that occurred throughout ancient Australia, consistent with Priority Goal 6 (Developing Deep Earth Resources) in the Designated National Research Priority Area: "An Environmentally Sustainable Australia". The scientific innovation represented by this project will help t ....A new approach to understanding the mechanisms and deep crustal controls of continental rifting. This research will directly examine the northern plate boundary of Australia, providing analogues for rift-related crustal processes that occurred throughout ancient Australia, consistent with Priority Goal 6 (Developing Deep Earth Resources) in the Designated National Research Priority Area: "An Environmentally Sustainable Australia". The scientific innovation represented by this project will help to maintain the leading position of Australian scientists in examining these issues. This project will be of direct relevance to energy exploration along Australia's passive margins (oil and gas) and will provide better constraints on the rifting process that will aid in our understanding of rift-related metallogenesis.Read moreRead less
The Origin of Australian Opal Deposits: Unlocking the Secrets of an Australian Icon. Opal is the National Gemstone of Australia. With over 95% of world's precious opal being mined in Australia, this precious mineral is not only one of our major export earners but also the life blood of many central Australian townships. Despite its economic significance and long history of mining little is known about the formation of opal. Consequently, exploration is still based on old-fashioned prospecting me ....The Origin of Australian Opal Deposits: Unlocking the Secrets of an Australian Icon. Opal is the National Gemstone of Australia. With over 95% of world's precious opal being mined in Australia, this precious mineral is not only one of our major export earners but also the life blood of many central Australian townships. Despite its economic significance and long history of mining little is known about the formation of opal. Consequently, exploration is still based on old-fashioned prospecting methods rather than on genetic exploration models that have made base metal exploration so successful. The aim of this project is to investigate the processes controlling the formation of Australian opal and to use this information to construct an exploration model that will lead to more effective and efficient exploration methods.Read moreRead less
Where to find giant porphyry and epithermal gold and copper deposits. This project will determine when and where giant gold or copper deposits should form, consolidating links with Indonesia, and using South East Asia as a vast natural laboratory in which to examine the effect of large-scale tectonic processes. The project will produce a four-dimensional virtual exploration toolkit to show how to apply the methods.
Investigating the fundamental link between deformation, fluids and the rates of reactions in minerals. In earth's crust and mantle, minerals are constantly undergoing chemical changes while simultaneously being deformed. In this project we use a novel combination of techniques in order to advance our understanding of how deformation influences these chemical changes.
Origin and setting of Congolese-type Cu deposits. This project aims to understand the genesis of the giant sediment-hosted Cu ore deposits of the Congolese Copperbelt, and their relationship to the enclosing strata. We will use selected study areas within the correlative Neoproterozic basin successions in Australia, which are well exposed and covered by modern geoscientific datasets, as analogues for the poorly exposed Congolese system. Once this is achieved, we will combine the results with tho ....Origin and setting of Congolese-type Cu deposits. This project aims to understand the genesis of the giant sediment-hosted Cu ore deposits of the Congolese Copperbelt, and their relationship to the enclosing strata. We will use selected study areas within the correlative Neoproterozic basin successions in Australia, which are well exposed and covered by modern geoscientific datasets, as analogues for the poorly exposed Congolese system. Once this is achieved, we will combine the results with those of a previous ARC linkage project on the nearby Zambian Copperbelt, to provide the first integrated model of the worlds largest sedimentary Cu system.Read moreRead less
Flow characteristics of lower crustal rocks: developing a toolbox to improve geodynamic models. This project will investigate in detail how rocks flow in the lowest part of the Earth's crust. The results will be used to improve sophisticated computer simulations of large-scale geological processes, allowing a better understanding of earthquakes, the formation of volcanic areas and location of energy resources.
Finite Strain with large rotations: A new hybrid numerical/experimental approach. Deformation up to large strains and rotations is important in rocks, metals, polymers, and biomaterials. Computational mechanics is a standard tool for modelling such deformations. However, in earth sciences, mechanical theories use small-strain formulations or large-strain approaches with classical stress rates. Classical stress rates can lead to incorrect stored energies. This project proposes to test a new large ....Finite Strain with large rotations: A new hybrid numerical/experimental approach. Deformation up to large strains and rotations is important in rocks, metals, polymers, and biomaterials. Computational mechanics is a standard tool for modelling such deformations. However, in earth sciences, mechanical theories use small-strain formulations or large-strain approaches with classical stress rates. Classical stress rates can lead to incorrect stored energies. This project proposes to test a new large-strain theory tailored to rocks experimentally, and to apply it to a pivotal geological problem: shear zone formation. The project will advance our fundamental understanding of the mechanics and energetics of rock deformation and provide a novel tool for the modelling of large deformations.Read moreRead less
Pressure waves on the mechanics of earthquakes and faulting. This project aims to decipher the physics of faulting and earthquakes from damage zones around seismogenic faults. It will examine a mechanism for instability in solids: volumetric collapse due to a dissipative pressure wave. This pressure wave may control damage-zone geometry and relate to earthquake stress and rock material properties. The project will research the instability through theoretical, laboratory and field studies. Antici ....Pressure waves on the mechanics of earthquakes and faulting. This project aims to decipher the physics of faulting and earthquakes from damage zones around seismogenic faults. It will examine a mechanism for instability in solids: volumetric collapse due to a dissipative pressure wave. This pressure wave may control damage-zone geometry and relate to earthquake stress and rock material properties. The project will research the instability through theoretical, laboratory and field studies. Anticipated outcomes include advances in earthquake and fault prediction, tools to determine the stress state and material properties of Earth’s crust, and knowledge of a class of solid instabilities.Read moreRead less
Four dimensional lithospheric evolution and controls on mineral system distribution in Neoarchean to Paleoproterozoic terranes. This project will resolve important questions about the links between the evolution and preservation of continents and important mineral deposits in Australia and West Africa between 2.7 and 1.8 billion years ago. The results will improve the understanding of a key period of Earth history and make a major contribution to mineral exploration.