Time- and Temperature-Dependence of the Fluid Transport Properties, Strength and Mechanical Behaviour of Crustal Faults - An Experimental and Modelling Study. High temperature rock deformation experiments will be performed in conjunction with high resolution, computer-aided x-ray microtomography to determine time-dependent and temperature-dependent effects on fluid transport properties, strength and mechanical behaviour during slip and interseismic healing of simulated fault rocks in hydrotherma ....Time- and Temperature-Dependence of the Fluid Transport Properties, Strength and Mechanical Behaviour of Crustal Faults - An Experimental and Modelling Study. High temperature rock deformation experiments will be performed in conjunction with high resolution, computer-aided x-ray microtomography to determine time-dependent and temperature-dependent effects on fluid transport properties, strength and mechanical behaviour during slip and interseismic healing of simulated fault rocks in hydrothermal environments. The results will be used with cellular automaton modelling approaches to develop a quantitative understanding of how coupling between fluid flow and rock deformation controls earthquake rupture and fluid migration in fault networks in the continental seismogenic regime. This work will provide new understanding of triggers for earthquake nucleation and controls on localisation of ore deposits.Read moreRead less
Platinum deposit genesis: A new way of thinking. Platinum is becoming increasingly crucial to the high technology sector, and is used particularly in catalytic converters and fuel cells, which serve to minimise or eliminate car exhaust pollution. Greatly expanded resources of this precious metal are needed to help society's transition to a low carbon dioxide (CO2) lifestyle. This project will combine high temperature-pressure experiments with geological field research to greatly improve our unde ....Platinum deposit genesis: A new way of thinking. Platinum is becoming increasingly crucial to the high technology sector, and is used particularly in catalytic converters and fuel cells, which serve to minimise or eliminate car exhaust pollution. Greatly expanded resources of this precious metal are needed to help society's transition to a low carbon dioxide (CO2) lifestyle. This project will combine high temperature-pressure experiments with geological field research to greatly improve our understanding of how platinum ore deposits form and thus where to find them. The outcomes of this project will change mineral exploration strategies in Australia and around the world, and facilitate our progression to a cleaner, greener future.Read moreRead less
The hydrothermal solubility of molybdenum: A LA-ICPMS study of synthetic and natural fluid inclusions. The solubility of molybdenum under magmatic-hydrothermal conditions is essentially unknown. This study will, for the first time, identify the fundamental controls on molybdenum solubility in porphyry systems. This information will provide geologists with basic information on the transport and deposition of this important ore metal. In an allied study, the ore metals; copper, gold and molybdenum ....The hydrothermal solubility of molybdenum: A LA-ICPMS study of synthetic and natural fluid inclusions. The solubility of molybdenum under magmatic-hydrothermal conditions is essentially unknown. This study will, for the first time, identify the fundamental controls on molybdenum solubility in porphyry systems. This information will provide geologists with basic information on the transport and deposition of this important ore metal. In an allied study, the ore metals; copper, gold and molybdenum, will be traced through the Kidston porphyry system, Queensland. This will clarify the processes that lead to ore deposition, which will ultimately allow geologists to more effectively explore for porphyry-type deposits, a major target for Australian mining companies in the Pacific region.Read moreRead less
Plate kinematics to plate dynamics: understanding plate boundary processes at the global scale. This proposal aims to create geodynamic models which can be used a basis for a new, smart resource exploration and extraction industry which uses simulation to help characterize regions where traditional geophysical imaging alone is not able to penetrate. It provides essential scientific underpinnings for
The Australian Computational Earth System Simulator Major National Research Facility (ACcESS).
Solidification, Channel Formation and Thermal Erosion In Lava Flows. This project will elucidate the complex dynamics that control the cooling rates and advance rates of lava flows. It will result in improved hazard assessments for volcanic areas around the world affected by the advance of lava flows, including many Pacific islands and most countries around the Pacific Rim. The project will also provide a quantitative understanding of thermal erosion in lava channels, which will help explain th ....Solidification, Channel Formation and Thermal Erosion In Lava Flows. This project will elucidate the complex dynamics that control the cooling rates and advance rates of lava flows. It will result in improved hazard assessments for volcanic areas around the world affected by the advance of lava flows, including many Pacific islands and most countries around the Pacific Rim. The project will also provide a quantitative understanding of thermal erosion in lava channels, which will help explain the formation and location of major ore deposits of nickel, copper and platinum in Western Australia and elsewhere around the world.Read moreRead less
NUMERICAL MODELS OF PLATE TECTONICS, MANTLE CONVECTION AND SLAB DYNAMICS WITH EVOLVING FAULTS. We plan to develop a method for simulating large-scale
geological structures with a much improved treatment
of tectonic faults in 3D.
Current computer models have sharp geological faults at plate
boundaries represented by broad, blurred zones. New techniques
for modeling cracks in engineering structures will be scaled up to
the whole Earth.
This will help us to understand how the Earth's p ....NUMERICAL MODELS OF PLATE TECTONICS, MANTLE CONVECTION AND SLAB DYNAMICS WITH EVOLVING FAULTS. We plan to develop a method for simulating large-scale
geological structures with a much improved treatment
of tectonic faults in 3D.
Current computer models have sharp geological faults at plate
boundaries represented by broad, blurred zones. New techniques
for modeling cracks in engineering structures will be scaled up to
the whole Earth.
This will help us to understand how the Earth's plates move and
interact now and in the past and how the structure of the continents
arose.
Not only is this intrinsically interesting, it
will also be of immediate practical benefit to geological modelers.Read moreRead less
The Fluid Dynamics of Lava Flows: Silicic Domes and Basaltic Channels. Lava flows surface much of the Earth, Moon and terrestrial planets. This interdisciplinary program will combine laboratory experiments, mathematical analysis, numerical modelling and field observations to elucidate the complex dynamics of lava flows, including the nonlinear coupling of flow with surface solidification and basal melting. The focus will be on lava dome instability, and flow in open channels and tubes. Expected ....The Fluid Dynamics of Lava Flows: Silicic Domes and Basaltic Channels. Lava flows surface much of the Earth, Moon and terrestrial planets. This interdisciplinary program will combine laboratory experiments, mathematical analysis, numerical modelling and field observations to elucidate the complex dynamics of lava flows, including the nonlinear coupling of flow with surface solidification and basal melting. The focus will be on lava dome instability, and flow in open channels and tubes. Expected outcomes include: the ability to predict rates of lava flow cooling and advance, indicators of hazardous lava dome collapse, improved volcanic hazard assessments, explanations of the genesis of world-class magmatic ore deposits, and new interpretations of planetary surface morphologies.Read moreRead less
An experimental exploration of silicate melt therrmodynamics. The chemical properties of magmas are the key to understanding igneous activity in the Earth, and hence the tectonic significance of magmatism, and the mineral resources resulting from past magmatism. The chemistry of magmas is also a determining factor in assessing the hazards associated with volcanic eruptions, including natural inputs into the atmosphere against which anthropogenic inputs causing climate change must be assessed. Th ....An experimental exploration of silicate melt therrmodynamics. The chemical properties of magmas are the key to understanding igneous activity in the Earth, and hence the tectonic significance of magmatism, and the mineral resources resulting from past magmatism. The chemistry of magmas is also a determining factor in assessing the hazards associated with volcanic eruptions, including natural inputs into the atmosphere against which anthropogenic inputs causing climate change must be assessed. This research program will measure experimentally the way different magma compositions affect the solubilites of important volatile and trace-element components in magmas, providing the much-needed fundamental data to model magmatic activity.Read moreRead less
Three-dimensional flow, temperature and melting distributions in mantle subduction zones. We will predict spatial distributions and time evolution of temperature and magma production in subduction zones, where cold oceanic plates sink into the Earth's mantle, recycle crust and sediments, and generate volcanic arcs. Three-dimensional laboratory experiments, including 3-D flow visualization and high-resolution temperature measurements, will model slab segments, different rates and modes of subduct ....Three-dimensional flow, temperature and melting distributions in mantle subduction zones. We will predict spatial distributions and time evolution of temperature and magma production in subduction zones, where cold oceanic plates sink into the Earth's mantle, recycle crust and sediments, and generate volcanic arcs. Three-dimensional laboratory experiments, including 3-D flow visualization and high-resolution temperature measurements, will model slab segments, different rates and modes of subduction and upward transport of melt. Ocean trench migration (?rollback? subduction) is of special interest because it gives patterns of temperature and vertical motion most conducive to melting. Results will be used to interpret geochemical and seismic data from the Tonga subduction zone in the South Pacific.Read moreRead less
The Geochemistry of the Platinum Group Elements, Copper, Rhenium and Gold in Granitic Rocks. Many of the World's largest copper and gold deposits derive their ore fluids from crystallizing granitic magmas. These elements, together with the platinum group elements, are sequestered by immiscible sulfide melts, which when they precipitate from a magma, control the subsequent evolution of these elements. The proposed study takes advantage of platinum's remarkable affinity for sulfides to identify ....The Geochemistry of the Platinum Group Elements, Copper, Rhenium and Gold in Granitic Rocks. Many of the World's largest copper and gold deposits derive their ore fluids from crystallizing granitic magmas. These elements, together with the platinum group elements, are sequestered by immiscible sulfide melts, which when they precipitate from a magma, control the subsequent evolution of these elements. The proposed study takes advantage of platinum's remarkable affinity for sulfides to identify onset of sulfide saturation and then monitor its effect on the subsequent evolution of copper and gold in the evolving magma. It is expected to provide new insights into chemistry of copper and gold in crystallizing granitic melts and explain why some granitic systems are ore bearing and other are not. Read moreRead less