Australian Laureate Fellowships - Grant ID: FL0992245
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$3,088,350.00
Summary
The Virtual Geological Observatory: a four dimensional view into the Earth through deep-time data-mining. The Fellowship aims to reveal the underlying processes of plate tectonic cycles, paleogeography, sea-level change and the formation of ore deposits and hydrocarbon resources since the explosion of life during the Cambrian period. Using a mantle convection framework, we will discover how the cyclicity in mid-ocean ridge creation and the subduction dynamics associated with the aggregation and ....The Virtual Geological Observatory: a four dimensional view into the Earth through deep-time data-mining. The Fellowship aims to reveal the underlying processes of plate tectonic cycles, paleogeography, sea-level change and the formation of ore deposits and hydrocarbon resources since the explosion of life during the Cambrian period. Using a mantle convection framework, we will discover how the cyclicity in mid-ocean ridge creation and the subduction dynamics associated with the aggregation and dispersal of Gondwana and Pangea has been driving plate tectonic cycles and cyclicity at the Earth's surface. A Virtual Geological Observatory will transform our understanding of this ancient world by fusing geodata-mining and high-performance computer simulation outputs in the plate-tectonic context.Read moreRead less
Tectonic Reconstruction of the Evolution of the Alpine-Himalayan Orogenic Chain. This project will construct a computationally explicit model of movements in the solid Earth for the past 150 million years, to study the Earth as a complex system during the collision that produced the Alpine-Himalayan mountain belt. This is the youngest collisional mountain belt on Earth, and at times it stretched from Spain to New Zealand. Earth Scientists want to understand the processes that took place to mak ....Tectonic Reconstruction of the Evolution of the Alpine-Himalayan Orogenic Chain. This project will construct a computationally explicit model of movements in the solid Earth for the past 150 million years, to study the Earth as a complex system during the collision that produced the Alpine-Himalayan mountain belt. This is the youngest collisional mountain belt on Earth, and at times it stretched from Spain to New Zealand. Earth Scientists want to understand the processes that took place to make it, in particular the role of ribbon continents. As a result of this work ordinary Australians will be able to better perceive their interactions with their nearest neighbours.Read moreRead less
Computer simulation to study emergence of material texture in the Earth and Plate Tectonics. Plate tectonics has played a crucial role in the evolution and dynamics of the earth impacting on the diversity of life, mineralisation, and crustal dynamics. Despite its significance, how and under what conditions material texture and plate tectonics emerge from a proto-planet is not well understood. New computational methodologies to simulate the evolution of the plate-mantle system will be used to stu ....Computer simulation to study emergence of material texture in the Earth and Plate Tectonics. Plate tectonics has played a crucial role in the evolution and dynamics of the earth impacting on the diversity of life, mineralisation, and crustal dynamics. Despite its significance, how and under what conditions material texture and plate tectonics emerge from a proto-planet is not well understood. New computational methodologies to simulate the evolution of the plate-mantle system will be used to study how the upper mantle emerges as a thermo-mechanically distinct boundary layer, how this emergent structure relates to anisotropy in the upper mantle, and how it is affected by cross-scale effects controlling fault zone behaviour and crustal dynamics.Read moreRead less
Australian Laureate Fellowships - Grant ID: FL110100074
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,627,006.00
Summary
Meteorite fireballs - illuminating the origins of the solar system. Meteorites are ancient rocks, containing a record of what conditions were like when the solar system was young; but to understand that record we need to know where they come from. This project will deliver these data, providing us with a template to understand how our planetary system came into being.
Uncovering ancient landscapes with emerging technologies: integrating complex geospatial and fossil data to explore late Cenozoic environmental change. This project aims to use emerging technologies to unravel relationships between prehistoric climate changes and environmental impacts in northern Australia. Given current uncertainty about impacts of contemporary climate change on our biota, it is important to document the outcomes of past climatic changes and, in particular, the globally critica ....Uncovering ancient landscapes with emerging technologies: integrating complex geospatial and fossil data to explore late Cenozoic environmental change. This project aims to use emerging technologies to unravel relationships between prehistoric climate changes and environmental impacts in northern Australia. Given current uncertainty about impacts of contemporary climate change on our biota, it is important to document the outcomes of past climatic changes and, in particular, the globally critical period between 15 and five million years ago that shaped modern Australian environments. Fossil-rich deposits in the Riversleigh World Heritage Area of northern Queensland span this period. Interpretation of their fine-grained record of impact and change will improve our ability to predict and hence better manage impacts of future climate change on our unique national natural heritage.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE170100106
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$780,000.00
Summary
A global fireball observatory. This project aims to expand the Desert Fireball Network (DFN) and build a Global Fireball Observatory. Nearly everything known about the origin and evolution of the solar system comes from analysis of meteorite falls, but scientists have almost no constraint on where they come from. This project will address this constraint by tracking hundreds of meteorite falls, and pinpointing each one’s origin in the solar system. Benefits include capitalising on the innovation ....A global fireball observatory. This project aims to expand the Desert Fireball Network (DFN) and build a Global Fireball Observatory. Nearly everything known about the origin and evolution of the solar system comes from analysis of meteorite falls, but scientists have almost no constraint on where they come from. This project will address this constraint by tracking hundreds of meteorite falls, and pinpointing each one’s origin in the solar system. Benefits include capitalising on the innovations and technologies that underpinned the DFN, and leveraging a NASA partnership for administrative support and advanced instrumentation development. Tracking for space situational awareness is also expected to benefit Australian national security.Read moreRead less
Exploring solar system origins with the Desert Fireball Network. This project aims to explore the science delivered by the Desert Fireball Network (DFN), a continent-wide facility comprising dozens of observatories across remote and regional Australia, tracking material entering the atmosphere. Meteorites record early solar system processes, but there is no constraint on where they come from. Precise orbits for recovered meteorites can solve that problem. This project will use the largest datase ....Exploring solar system origins with the Desert Fireball Network. This project aims to explore the science delivered by the Desert Fireball Network (DFN), a continent-wide facility comprising dozens of observatories across remote and regional Australia, tracking material entering the atmosphere. Meteorites record early solar system processes, but there is no constraint on where they come from. Precise orbits for recovered meteorites can solve that problem. This project will use the largest dataset of fireball orbits ever acquired, while a supercomputer imagery archive provides a way-back machine for researchers. DFN tracking of satellites, debris re-entry and overseas rocket launches directly benefits Australian national security and a mature outreach programme aims to deliver the outcomes of this research to the public.Read moreRead less
Fleshing out the fossil record: using organically preserved soft tissues and bone to explore the evolution of unique vertebrate characters. This study integrates developmental, molecular and morphological data in both fossil and living species to provide insights into the evolutionary mechanisms which formed the musculo/skeletal system. Uncovering these evolutionary pathways has the potential to describe mechanisms common to all vertebrate and informs us about our own evolution.
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
THE TIME SCALES OF MAGMATIC AND EROSIONAL CYCLES. Precise information on time scales and rates of change is fundamental to understanding natural processes and the development and testing of quantitative physical models in the Earth Sciences. Uranium decay-series isotope studies are revolutionising this field by providing time information in the range 100-100000 years, similar to that of many important Earth processes. This project will establish a dedicated Uranium-series research laboratory and ....THE TIME SCALES OF MAGMATIC AND EROSIONAL CYCLES. Precise information on time scales and rates of change is fundamental to understanding natural processes and the development and testing of quantitative physical models in the Earth Sciences. Uranium decay-series isotope studies are revolutionising this field by providing time information in the range 100-100000 years, similar to that of many important Earth processes. This project will establish a dedicated Uranium-series research laboratory and investigate (1) the processes and time scales of magma formation, transport and differentiation beneath western Pacific island arc volcanoes, (2) the time scales and relative roles of physical and chemical erosion in Australian river basins.Read moreRead less