The copper-gold fertility of mountain belts. This project aims to identify the timing of, and understand the causes of, sulphide saturation in granitic suites to test the hypothesis that sulphide saturation controls the fertility of copper-gold deposits. More than half of the world’s copper and gold comes from granitic rocks, but most granitic suites are barren. As copper-gold deposits become increasingly difficult to find, and exploration budgets have been slashed, it is critical to reliably di ....The copper-gold fertility of mountain belts. This project aims to identify the timing of, and understand the causes of, sulphide saturation in granitic suites to test the hypothesis that sulphide saturation controls the fertility of copper-gold deposits. More than half of the world’s copper and gold comes from granitic rocks, but most granitic suites are barren. As copper-gold deposits become increasingly difficult to find, and exploration budgets have been slashed, it is critical to reliably distinguish ore bearing from barren systems. Platinum group element geochemistry could make this distinction by pinpointing the timing of sulphide saturation in evolving magma systems. Eliminating barren suites as exploration targets will save Australia’s exploration dollars which can be directed to where the prospects of success are greatest.Read moreRead less
Gold transport in aqueous versus organic fluids: Experimental data for describing ore-forming systems. In many hydrothermal ore-forming systems, the ore is associated with inclusions of both aqueous brine and organic liquid (petroleum). The conventional theory is that the metals are dissolved and transported to the deposit by the brine, but some researchers suggest that petroleum may fill this role. This project proposes to conduct an experimental and field-based study on the chemical behaviour ....Gold transport in aqueous versus organic fluids: Experimental data for describing ore-forming systems. In many hydrothermal ore-forming systems, the ore is associated with inclusions of both aqueous brine and organic liquid (petroleum). The conventional theory is that the metals are dissolved and transported to the deposit by the brine, but some researchers suggest that petroleum may fill this role. This project proposes to conduct an experimental and field-based study on the chemical behaviour of gold in aqueous-organic and organic fluid systems, to determine which type of liquid is more important for gold mobilisation in a competitive situation. This study will provide much-needed data for more accurate modelling of ore systems, furthering our understanding and facilitating mineral exploration. Read moreRead less
Magnetite and metal-rich sulphides in arc magmas. Ascending magmas cool and crystallise a variety of minerals. Triggering sulfide deposition which hosts base and precious metals is a critical point in magma evolution. This research will explore the role of magnetite as this trigger and its potential as a tracer of this process.
Resolving the influence of intraplate orogenesis on continental margin tectonics. Novel, multi-dating of continental sedimentary rocks will be undertaken to examine the effects of a high sediment flux from an enigmatic, major mountain-building event on a distant continental margin. This will expand our understanding of the range of tectonic influences between continental interiors and margins and onshore resource potential.
Magma dynamics and ore deposits. This project aims to advance knowledge on magma transport mechanisms through the Earth’s lithosphere, and boost predictive capacity to discover new ore deposits. Using field surveys, three-dimensional reflection seismic data, laboratory experiments and rock fracture mechanics, this project will investigate where, how and why, narrow finger-like conduits form in lithosphere-scale magma plumbing systems. The project expects to generate new knowledge on the formatio ....Magma dynamics and ore deposits. This project aims to advance knowledge on magma transport mechanisms through the Earth’s lithosphere, and boost predictive capacity to discover new ore deposits. Using field surveys, three-dimensional reflection seismic data, laboratory experiments and rock fracture mechanics, this project will investigate where, how and why, narrow finger-like conduits form in lithosphere-scale magma plumbing systems. The project expects to generate new knowledge on the formation and location of highly valuable ore deposits of nickel, copper, cobalt and platinum group elements, which are preferentially trapped in poorly understood, finger-like magma conduits. Anticipated outcomes of the project include fundamental insights into how magma transport dynamics control traps for magmatic sulfide ores as well as equipping mineral explorers in targeting their search for these important, but hard to find, ore deposits, benefitting society through future discoveries of economically strategic, new commodities.Read moreRead less
Mapping mineral systems of deep Australia. We aim at enabling mineral resource discoveries by calibrating geophysical surveys using geochemical and petrophysical properties measured on mantle samples brought to the surface by recent volcanoes. National geophysical surveys deliver images of geophysical gradients in the deeper part of the Australian continent. The interpretation of these gradients in geological terms and in terms of economic mineral systems is the key to unlock deep exploration su ....Mapping mineral systems of deep Australia. We aim at enabling mineral resource discoveries by calibrating geophysical surveys using geochemical and petrophysical properties measured on mantle samples brought to the surface by recent volcanoes. National geophysical surveys deliver images of geophysical gradients in the deeper part of the Australian continent. The interpretation of these gradients in geological terms and in terms of economic mineral systems is the key to unlock deep exploration success. This project will turn Australia’s investment in National geophysical surveys into new discoveries of base metals. The benefit stems from enabling the transition to a clean economy which requires a much broader range of critical minerals and a larger quantity of base metals.Read moreRead less
Continents in the Mantle Transition Zone? Sediment Recycling and the Geochemical Fertilization of the Deep Mantle. Because of its intrinsic compositional buoyancy, continental crust has traditionally been considered to be unsubductable in the denser underlying mantle. Yet some ocean island basalts carry a geochemical signature of recycled continental material in their plume source in the deep mantle. This project will reconcile this paradox through high-pressure experiments that will simulate su ....Continents in the Mantle Transition Zone? Sediment Recycling and the Geochemical Fertilization of the Deep Mantle. Because of its intrinsic compositional buoyancy, continental crust has traditionally been considered to be unsubductable in the denser underlying mantle. Yet some ocean island basalts carry a geochemical signature of recycled continental material in their plume source in the deep mantle. This project will reconcile this paradox through high-pressure experiments that will simulate subduction of continental sediments into the deep mantle. These experiments will provide the first empirical constraints on the role of sediment-derived fluids in mantle metasomatism and the origin of economically-rich potassic magmas, and the nature of the ultrarefractory continental component that ultimately reaches the plume source for ocean-island basalts.Read moreRead less
The global consequences of subduction zone congestion. This project will use a combination of 3D geodynamic modelling, plate kinematic reconstruction and geological and geophysical synthesis to determine how congested subduction zones influence plate kinematics, subduction dynamics and tectonic evolution at orogen and global scales. The project aims to deliver a transformation change in understanding the links between congested subduction, mantle flow, trench migration, crustal growth, transitio ....The global consequences of subduction zone congestion. This project will use a combination of 3D geodynamic modelling, plate kinematic reconstruction and geological and geophysical synthesis to determine how congested subduction zones influence plate kinematics, subduction dynamics and tectonic evolution at orogen and global scales. The project aims to deliver a transformation change in understanding the links between congested subduction, mantle flow, trench migration, crustal growth, transitions between stable convergent margin configurations and deformation in the overriding plates of subduction zones. Determining these relationships is significant because it will provide dynamic context to interpret the geological record of ancient convergent margins, which host a large percentage of Earth's metal resources.Read moreRead less
Aqueous fluids in the deep earth. This project aims to improve our understanding of the role of fluids in controlling exchanges between the deep Earth, shallow rocks, and atmosphere. The project expects to investigate some of the key weaknesses in the thermodynamic models that are used to predict the behaviour of sulphur, carbon and metals in fluids at high pressure and temperature by using recent advances in computational and experimental (geo)chemistry. Integrated in large-scale geodynamic mod ....Aqueous fluids in the deep earth. This project aims to improve our understanding of the role of fluids in controlling exchanges between the deep Earth, shallow rocks, and atmosphere. The project expects to investigate some of the key weaknesses in the thermodynamic models that are used to predict the behaviour of sulphur, carbon and metals in fluids at high pressure and temperature by using recent advances in computational and experimental (geo)chemistry. Integrated in large-scale geodynamic models, the more reliable predictions will provide a more realistic assessment of the role of sulphur in controlling metal endowment and atmospheric chemistry through geological times. This should provide a useful guide for mineral exploration and planetary science.Read moreRead less
Experiments to quantify the geochemical behaviour of the precious metals. This project aims to measure the high-temperature geochemical properties of the precious metals, which include gold, silver and the platinum group elements. The measurements are needed to quantify the partitioning of the precious metals between silicate melts and metal or sulfide, which would enable their distinctive geochemical properties to be applied to the testing of current hypotheses on how Earth formed, the composit ....Experiments to quantify the geochemical behaviour of the precious metals. This project aims to measure the high-temperature geochemical properties of the precious metals, which include gold, silver and the platinum group elements. The measurements are needed to quantify the partitioning of the precious metals between silicate melts and metal or sulfide, which would enable their distinctive geochemical properties to be applied to the testing of current hypotheses on how Earth formed, the composition of Earth's mantle through time, the relationship of Earth to the Moon, and the evolution of magmatic systems to form copper-gold deposits. The measurements have become feasible due to newly developed experimental and analytical methods, which avoid the problems that have bedevilled previous attempts.Read moreRead less