Finding Porphyry Copper with zircon trace elements & hyperspectral display. Copper mine discovery rates lag behind world needs. One way to find copper in the World’s Ring of Fire is to measure compositions of zircons which are durable minerals concentrated in stream sands and spreadout long distances below a deposit. 100s of zircon from a cup of sand constitute a sample. Zircon chemical features that indicate possible mines are mostly understood, but nature is complicated. Beyond the 26 channel ....Finding Porphyry Copper with zircon trace elements & hyperspectral display. Copper mine discovery rates lag behind world needs. One way to find copper in the World’s Ring of Fire is to measure compositions of zircons which are durable minerals concentrated in stream sands and spreadout long distances below a deposit. 100s of zircon from a cup of sand constitute a sample. Zircon chemical features that indicate possible mines are mostly understood, but nature is complicated. Beyond the 26 channels of chemical data for each grain in the 10,000s of analyses, there are 7 layers of lab imaging data that are not carried along in a convenient way. Geologists need smart computer systems to find useful relationships among the 33 channels and to discover relations within and between samples to find more mineable copper. Read moreRead less
Experimental constraints on the genesis of gold-rich ore deposits. The project will provide a new set of tools to explore for gold-rich ore deposits in Australia and globally. By integrating geochemical studies with cutting-edge experiments carried out at three Australian universities in strategic partnership with industry, the outcomes of this project will provide much needed knowledge to predict the locations of large gold-rich deposits that are concealed beneath vast expanses of the Australia ....Experimental constraints on the genesis of gold-rich ore deposits. The project will provide a new set of tools to explore for gold-rich ore deposits in Australia and globally. By integrating geochemical studies with cutting-edge experiments carried out at three Australian universities in strategic partnership with industry, the outcomes of this project will provide much needed knowledge to predict the locations of large gold-rich deposits that are concealed beneath vast expanses of the Australian continent. The new results will translate into smarter exploration practice, significantly enhancing success in targeting ore deposits that are rich in high-value metal and display the smallest have a small environmental footprint, to underpin the sustainability of our nation into the future.
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The lost ocean of eastern Australia and its critical metals endowment. This project aims to unravel the tectonic origin and economic potential of ultramafic rocks (rocks which host elevated concentrations of nickel, cobalt, chromium, and platinum-group elements). Such rocks are outcropping in eastern Australia along a contorted ~1500 km long belt that may record relics of an ancient ocean. Through detailed mapping and cutting-edge analytical techniques, the project is expected to fill a crucial ....The lost ocean of eastern Australia and its critical metals endowment. This project aims to unravel the tectonic origin and economic potential of ultramafic rocks (rocks which host elevated concentrations of nickel, cobalt, chromium, and platinum-group elements). Such rocks are outcropping in eastern Australia along a contorted ~1500 km long belt that may record relics of an ancient ocean. Through detailed mapping and cutting-edge analytical techniques, the project is expected to fill a crucial knowledge gap in Australian tectonics, while providing information on ore mineralisation. The expected outcomes, including new tectonic models unveiling the scale, geometry, and economic potential of the ultramafic bodies, could benefit critical mineral exploration, carbon storage solutions, and geoecology conservation.Read moreRead less
Realising Australia’s rare earth resource potential. This project aims to reveal the potential for undiscovered economic deposits of rare earth elements within the Australian continent. Future supply of these elements underpins societies transition to clean energy and embrace of high-tech applications. The project expects to greatly enhance our knowledge of Australia’s endowment of rare earth element resources using an array of traditional and innovative geological research methods. Expected out ....Realising Australia’s rare earth resource potential. This project aims to reveal the potential for undiscovered economic deposits of rare earth elements within the Australian continent. Future supply of these elements underpins societies transition to clean energy and embrace of high-tech applications. The project expects to greatly enhance our knowledge of Australia’s endowment of rare earth element resources using an array of traditional and innovative geological research methods. Expected outcomes of this project include a greater understanding of how, where and when rare earth element orebodies form in the Earth's crust. This should provide significant benefits to exploring for––and discovering––new orebodies that are required to secure global critical metal supplies. Read moreRead less
Exploring volcanic arcs as factories of critical minerals. Volcanoes at destructive plate boundaries (magmatic arcs) host most global copper deposits, critical for renewable energy and in unprecedented rising demand. This project aims to use high-resolution geochemical zoning of erupted crystals to uncover how magmatic processes lead to copper mineralisation and explosive volcanic eruption in arc volcanoes. The expected outcome is new knowledge on the inner workings of volcanoes and their copper ....Exploring volcanic arcs as factories of critical minerals. Volcanoes at destructive plate boundaries (magmatic arcs) host most global copper deposits, critical for renewable energy and in unprecedented rising demand. This project aims to use high-resolution geochemical zoning of erupted crystals to uncover how magmatic processes lead to copper mineralisation and explosive volcanic eruption in arc volcanoes. The expected outcome is new knowledge on the inner workings of volcanoes and their copper enrichment potential. Anticipated applications are refined exploration targeting for copper and improved volcano hazard assessment. This will benefit the Asia-Pacific region and enhance the capacity of mining companies in the global race to produce metals of the future.Read moreRead less
Industrial Transformation Training Centres - Grant ID: IC230100035
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$5,000,000.00
Summary
ARC Training Centre in Critical Resources for the Future. The proposed ARC Training Centre in Critical Resources aims to train the next generation of geoscientists needed to enable resourcing of the transition to a high-tech, clean energy society. Training of PhD students and postdoctoral scientists will primarily focus on bridging the gap between mineral systems science, mineral exploration protocols and ore processing/metallurgical extraction. This will provide geoscientists with an essential ....ARC Training Centre in Critical Resources for the Future. The proposed ARC Training Centre in Critical Resources aims to train the next generation of geoscientists needed to enable resourcing of the transition to a high-tech, clean energy society. Training of PhD students and postdoctoral scientists will primarily focus on bridging the gap between mineral systems science, mineral exploration protocols and ore processing/metallurgical extraction. This will provide geoscientists with an essential understanding of the whole value chain of the critical resources of the future.
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Experimental and empirical insight into melting of the early Earth's mantle. The early Earth's mantle produced melt at much higher temperature than today, creating rocks with unique chemistries and mineralogies. But pressing knowledge gaps about hot mantle melting remain. The aim of this project is to generate new experimental and empirical knowledge to help closing these gaps by:
(i) conducting high pressure experiments to refine phase-composition relationships and element partitioning;
(ii) qu ....Experimental and empirical insight into melting of the early Earth's mantle. The early Earth's mantle produced melt at much higher temperature than today, creating rocks with unique chemistries and mineralogies. But pressing knowledge gaps about hot mantle melting remain. The aim of this project is to generate new experimental and empirical knowledge to help closing these gaps by:
(i) conducting high pressure experiments to refine phase-composition relationships and element partitioning;
(ii) quantifying mineral fabrics in cratonic peridotites to understand the movement of early continents; and
(iii) constructing the first petrological deep time model for greenstone belt volcanic rocks.
The expected outcomes are better models for the early Earth's melting and tectonic regimes and insight into the emergence of land.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE200100035
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$610,000.00
Summary
WA CRC-MC-ICPMS for Earth, Planetary and Environmental science. This Application aims to provide a mass spectrometer for Australian researchers collaborating on NASA, Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency and China National Space Administration extra-terrestrial sample return missions as they characterise unique samples of dust and rock collected from asteroids, the Moon and meteorites. The Application will also support government geoscience agencies who will generate nationally significant isot ....WA CRC-MC-ICPMS for Earth, Planetary and Environmental science. This Application aims to provide a mass spectrometer for Australian researchers collaborating on NASA, Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency and China National Space Administration extra-terrestrial sample return missions as they characterise unique samples of dust and rock collected from asteroids, the Moon and meteorites. The Application will also support government geoscience agencies who will generate nationally significant isotopic datasets to improve mineral exploration success, and scientists monitoring Earth’s environment. Expected outcomes will ensure that Australia remains at the forefront of cosmochemistry, minerals research and environmental studies, which will provide significant benefits to our economy and society.
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Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE210101395
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$447,627.00
Summary
Linking continental emergence and climatic evolution on the Early Earth. This project will use a range of innovative geochemical techniques to constrain the timing and extent to which the continents were emergent (above sea-level) throughout Earth’s history and its impact on climatic evolution. Continental emergence was pivotal to the development of our habitable planet, as it controlled the influx of bioessential elements, like phosphorus, to the oceans. Expected outcomes include a detailed rec ....Linking continental emergence and climatic evolution on the Early Earth. This project will use a range of innovative geochemical techniques to constrain the timing and extent to which the continents were emergent (above sea-level) throughout Earth’s history and its impact on climatic evolution. Continental emergence was pivotal to the development of our habitable planet, as it controlled the influx of bioessential elements, like phosphorus, to the oceans. Expected outcomes include a detailed record of changes in ocean chemistry, and a time integrated model for the emergence of continents on the early Earth. Documenting the impact of changes in the solid Earth on evolution is not only of interest to society in general, but also contributes to understanding the formation of Australia’s vast iron ore deposits.Read moreRead less