Marine Geological Investigation of the Naturaliste Plateau and Diamantina Zone - the tectono-magmatic development of a non-volcanic passive margin. Australia's continental margins impact enormously on our major industries including tourism, hydrocarbon production and fisheries, and are particularly significant with respect to biodiversity and hazard planning (both long and short term), yet knowledge of the seafloor of our margins is desperately poor. To contribute to alleviating this problem, we ....Marine Geological Investigation of the Naturaliste Plateau and Diamantina Zone - the tectono-magmatic development of a non-volcanic passive margin. Australia's continental margins impact enormously on our major industries including tourism, hydrocarbon production and fisheries, and are particularly significant with respect to biodiversity and hazard planning (both long and short term), yet knowledge of the seafloor of our margins is desperately poor. To contribute to alleviating this problem, we will use the R/V Southern Surveyor research vessel to produce swath mapping imagery and dredge samples from the seafloor of a geologically fascinating part of the southern section of the Western Australian margin dominated by the Naturaliste Plateau and Diamantina Zone. Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE100100107
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$400,000.00
Summary
Purchase of a multi-purpose Schottky field emission gun scanning electron microscope. Scanning electron microscopy is a basic analytical tool for imaging surfaces of natural and synthetic materials and identification of nanometre-scale features and their compositions. At the University of Tasmania, it supports four of our six designated priority research themes: Antarctic and Marine Studies, Environment, Frontier Technologies, and Sustainable Primary Production. Our research depending on this te ....Purchase of a multi-purpose Schottky field emission gun scanning electron microscope. Scanning electron microscopy is a basic analytical tool for imaging surfaces of natural and synthetic materials and identification of nanometre-scale features and their compositions. At the University of Tasmania, it supports four of our six designated priority research themes: Antarctic and Marine Studies, Environment, Frontier Technologies, and Sustainable Primary Production. Our research depending on this technique includes many fundamental and applied topics from a wide range of disciplines, such as developing portable detection devices for explosives, finding more efficient and sustainable ways to explore for ore, investigating the effects of climate change on marine ecosystems and improving salinity and drought tolerance of crops.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE150100145
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$170,000.00
Summary
The South Australian Thermochronometry Hub (SA Thermo). A thermochronometry hub: This project aims to set up a thermochronometry hub which will complement existing Australian geo- and thermochronological facilities by focussing on zircon fission track dating. This method will enable characterisation of the evolution of Australia's landscape, uncovering of its mineral deposits and constraining the formation of its petroleum reservoirs. The facility will enhance capacity to undertake thermochronol ....The South Australian Thermochronometry Hub (SA Thermo). A thermochronometry hub: This project aims to set up a thermochronometry hub which will complement existing Australian geo- and thermochronological facilities by focussing on zircon fission track dating. This method will enable characterisation of the evolution of Australia's landscape, uncovering of its mineral deposits and constraining the formation of its petroleum reservoirs. The facility will enhance capacity to undertake thermochronological research and aid in securing the economic future of Australia.Read moreRead less
The role of melting of oceanic crust within the subduction factory: A melt inclusion approach. Continental crust is ultimately generated in subduction zones, where oceanic crust is recycled back into the mantle along deep ocean trenches, producing island arcs. Processes occurring in the subduction 'factory' are poorly understood, but dehydration of old subducted oceanic crust is usually invoked to provide water that triggers mantle melting and arc magmatism. Evidence is accumulating that in many ....The role of melting of oceanic crust within the subduction factory: A melt inclusion approach. Continental crust is ultimately generated in subduction zones, where oceanic crust is recycled back into the mantle along deep ocean trenches, producing island arcs. Processes occurring in the subduction 'factory' are poorly understood, but dehydration of old subducted oceanic crust is usually invoked to provide water that triggers mantle melting and arc magmatism. Evidence is accumulating that in many locations the subducted oceanic crust may melt, rather than simply dehydrate. I will test this using studies of melt inclusions (droplets of melt trapped by crystals growing in the magma), and will better constrain the input-output budgets of the subduction factory.Read moreRead less
Building Central Asia: Linking the Growth of Asia to its Exhumation. The consumption of the Tethys Ocean and the associated collision of Gondwana-derived terranes with Eurasia resulted in the uplift of the highest mountain belt on Earth: the Himalayas. However, stresses from this collision zone propagated far into the Eurasian interior by reactivating faults and creating mountain belts along these fault zones. This project aims to map and model how and when fault (re)activation occurred by integ ....Building Central Asia: Linking the Growth of Asia to its Exhumation. The consumption of the Tethys Ocean and the associated collision of Gondwana-derived terranes with Eurasia resulted in the uplift of the highest mountain belt on Earth: the Himalayas. However, stresses from this collision zone propagated far into the Eurasian interior by reactivating faults and creating mountain belts along these fault zones. This project aims to map and model how and when fault (re)activation occurred by integrating multi-method thermochronological and structural data on major Meso-Cenozoic Central Asian fault systems. The resulting time-integrated tectonic model will aid in the understanding of the India-Eurasia collision, the building of the mountainous Central Asian landscape and its influence on the Asian climate.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE110100041
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$240,000.00
Summary
A new generation fast mapping Raman system. This fast-imaging Raman facility will give researchers at the University of Tasmania a new tool to rapidly analyse the chemical properties of a wide range of materials in a non destructive way. It will complement other instrumentation and support a diverse range of research areas addressing several national research priorities.
Assessment of the potential consequences of large-scale eradication of rice grass from the Tamar Estuary, Tasmania. Introduced Rice grass has trapped large volumes of intertidal sediment, yet reduced amenity values of the Tamar Estuary, transforming beaches into muddy rice grass meadows, threatening aquaculture industries, and silting up coastal developments. This project will investigate the consequences of rice grass eradication, by determination of sediment volume trapped, contaminants contai ....Assessment of the potential consequences of large-scale eradication of rice grass from the Tamar Estuary, Tasmania. Introduced Rice grass has trapped large volumes of intertidal sediment, yet reduced amenity values of the Tamar Estuary, transforming beaches into muddy rice grass meadows, threatening aquaculture industries, and silting up coastal developments. This project will investigate the consequences of rice grass eradication, by determination of sediment volume trapped, contaminants contained, and monitoring of processes active after removal. The outcomes of this research will enable informed decisions on management of the Tamar rice grass infestation, and provide an understanding the impacts of large scale eradication to management authorities of similar infestations in Victoria, New Zealand, Europe, China and the USA.Read moreRead less
Phosphate stabilisation of metalliferous mine wastes: The key to solving a major environmental issue? Mine wastes represent the greatest proportion of solid waste produced by mankind. Unconstrained drainage from sulfide-rich mine wastes impacts on water, soil and sediment quality. This project will establish the scientific principles of phosphate stabilisation, which involves the addition of phosphate compounds to mine wastes and soils to permanently contain metals and acid. A solid understandin ....Phosphate stabilisation of metalliferous mine wastes: The key to solving a major environmental issue? Mine wastes represent the greatest proportion of solid waste produced by mankind. Unconstrained drainage from sulfide-rich mine wastes impacts on water, soil and sediment quality. This project will establish the scientific principles of phosphate stabilisation, which involves the addition of phosphate compounds to mine wastes and soils to permanently contain metals and acid. A solid understanding of this emerging technology is a prerequisite for any sustainable management of mine sites. The study will provide the foundation of future management tools needed by landholders, industry and regulators to remediate mined land and waste repositories.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0882854
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$6,000,000.00
Summary
Australian Membership of the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program. Membership of the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) will provide high-leverage access to the largest, and most effective international geoscience program.
Results from drilling within Australia's marine jurisdiction will give understanding of the oceans' state under past climates through high resolution records of the range of oceanographic and biological responses to climate change, the role of the deep biosphere in shapin ....Australian Membership of the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program. Membership of the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) will provide high-leverage access to the largest, and most effective international geoscience program.
Results from drilling within Australia's marine jurisdiction will give understanding of the oceans' state under past climates through high resolution records of the range of oceanographic and biological responses to climate change, the role of the deep biosphere in shaping oil and gas deposits, hydrothermal and igneous processes involved in ore genesis, and enhanced understanding of some of the world's largest earthquake- and tsunami-generating processes.
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Tectonic paradox of the E margin of the Australian plate, 120 - 45 Ma. Available geological evidence indicates that massive extension of continental crust occurred from 120-45 million years ago at the eastern margin of the Australian plate. In contrast, global plate movement models indicate that there was convergence between the Pacific and Australian plates, implying subduction and island arc magmatism. We propose a marine research expedition to dredge rocks from scarps of the submarine ridges ....Tectonic paradox of the E margin of the Australian plate, 120 - 45 Ma. Available geological evidence indicates that massive extension of continental crust occurred from 120-45 million years ago at the eastern margin of the Australian plate. In contrast, global plate movement models indicate that there was convergence between the Pacific and Australian plates, implying subduction and island arc magmatism. We propose a marine research expedition to dredge rocks from scarps of the submarine ridges east of Australia. Geochemical signatures and dating of the dredged rocks should elucidate the geological evolution of this region, improve our understanding of eastern Australian geology, and better define Australia's Maritime Jurisdiction Zone along the eastern seaboard.Read moreRead less