Evolution of the Proterozoic lithosphere and its bearing of sediment hosted base metal mineralisation. This project aims to determine the aspects of lithospheric evolution that led to a concentration of giant base metal mineral deposits in the Early to Middle Proterozoic (ca 1.9-1.5 billion years ago). We propose to test three related hypotheses that, if validated, will fundamentally change our view of Proterozoic metallogenesis and the way the mineral industry approaches exploration for these ....Evolution of the Proterozoic lithosphere and its bearing of sediment hosted base metal mineralisation. This project aims to determine the aspects of lithospheric evolution that led to a concentration of giant base metal mineral deposits in the Early to Middle Proterozoic (ca 1.9-1.5 billion years ago). We propose to test three related hypotheses that, if validated, will fundamentally change our view of Proterozoic metallogenesis and the way the mineral industry approaches exploration for these deposits.Read moreRead less
Crustal-Scale Fluid Flow in Deep Intracontinental Settings: Conditions, Sources and Deformational Responses. Fluids are important agents of heat and mass transport in the Earth's crust. They play a key role in the mobilisation of metals and as such play a crucial role in the generation of ore deposits. The outcomes of this project will result in a greater understanding of the mechanisms and sources of fluid generation and mobilisation in deep-crustal settings. These outcomes can be related direc ....Crustal-Scale Fluid Flow in Deep Intracontinental Settings: Conditions, Sources and Deformational Responses. Fluids are important agents of heat and mass transport in the Earth's crust. They play a key role in the mobilisation of metals and as such play a crucial role in the generation of ore deposits. The outcomes of this project will result in a greater understanding of the mechanisms and sources of fluid generation and mobilisation in deep-crustal settings. These outcomes can be related directly to the understanding of the controls on the transport and deposition of metals and hence the formation of mineral resources which are vital to maintaining a strong Australian economy.Read moreRead less
Evolution of a two billion year subduction zone: Insights from the integration of microstructure and geochronology. The dynamic evolution of the earth is fundamentally linked to its thermal history. Since, the internal heat production of the earth has changed over time, plate tectonic processes may also have changed over earth history. The manner and timing of this change is highly controversial. We aim to address the nature of tectonic processes 2 billion years ago by studying one of the wor ....Evolution of a two billion year subduction zone: Insights from the integration of microstructure and geochronology. The dynamic evolution of the earth is fundamentally linked to its thermal history. Since, the internal heat production of the earth has changed over time, plate tectonic processes may also have changed over earth history. The manner and timing of this change is highly controversial. We aim to address the nature of tectonic processes 2 billion years ago by studying one of the world's oldest subduction zones (the Usagarian belt in Tanzania). The geometry, kinematics and deformation history of the subduction complex will be integrated with radiometric age dating to quantify the style and rates of ancient tectonic processes.Read moreRead less
Driving Mechanisms of Mountain Building in Accretionary Orogens. Accretionary mountain belts constitute major portions of the Earth's continental crust including the Yilgarn in Western Australia and the area east of Broken Hill constituting a third of the Australian land mass. Understanding the origin of the Permo-Triassic (300-230 Ma) mountain range that lay along the margin of Gondwana from Eastern Australia to South America will provide a new insight into our environment and stimulate interna ....Driving Mechanisms of Mountain Building in Accretionary Orogens. Accretionary mountain belts constitute major portions of the Earth's continental crust including the Yilgarn in Western Australia and the area east of Broken Hill constituting a third of the Australian land mass. Understanding the origin of the Permo-Triassic (300-230 Ma) mountain range that lay along the margin of Gondwana from Eastern Australia to South America will provide a new insight into our environment and stimulate international interest through collaboration amongst researchers around the world. Accretionary orogens are of economic importance as they host the Earth's major orogenic gold deposits and our work has potential to provide a new framework for linking mineralization and deformation events within these important settings.Read moreRead less
Understanding the Sibao Orogenic Belt in South China: A Part of the Rodinian Supercontinent Assembly Adjacent to Australia. The Sibao Orogenic Belt (SOB) in South China is regarded as one of the worldwide 1300-1000 Ma mountain belts that record the assembly of the supercontinent Rodinia. However, recent work suggests that some of these mountain belts, including the SOB, were probably active until 900 Ma, thus questioning parts of the early Rodinia reconstructions. In this study we aim to deter ....Understanding the Sibao Orogenic Belt in South China: A Part of the Rodinian Supercontinent Assembly Adjacent to Australia. The Sibao Orogenic Belt (SOB) in South China is regarded as one of the worldwide 1300-1000 Ma mountain belts that record the assembly of the supercontinent Rodinia. However, recent work suggests that some of these mountain belts, including the SOB, were probably active until 900 Ma, thus questioning parts of the early Rodinia reconstructions. In this study we aim to determine the ages, and geochemical and structural characteristics of key tectonic units in the SOB. This will lead to a better understanding of the assembly process of Rodinia, and events occurring in continental blocks adjacent to Australia at that time.Read moreRead less