Pyrite: a deep-time capsule of ocean chemistry and atmosphere oxidation. Surprisingly little is known about trace element trends in past oceans, even though these data are vital for interpreting the evolution of the Earth's atmosphere, evolutionary pathways of marine life and cycles of major mineral deposits. Using laser-based analysis of sedimentary pyrite in deep marine rocks, this project aims to produce, for the first time, temporal variation curves for 25 trace elements in seawater over the ....Pyrite: a deep-time capsule of ocean chemistry and atmosphere oxidation. Surprisingly little is known about trace element trends in past oceans, even though these data are vital for interpreting the evolution of the Earth's atmosphere, evolutionary pathways of marine life and cycles of major mineral deposits. Using laser-based analysis of sedimentary pyrite in deep marine rocks, this project aims to produce, for the first time, temporal variation curves for 25 trace elements in seawater over the last 3.5 billion years. Preliminary research has validated the technique and demonstrated major changes in certain trace elements over geologically short periods. Outcomes will assist the minerals industry in the discovery of new deposits of zinc, copper, gold and iron ore in Australia.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE190101011
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$380,000.00
Summary
Deep-sea magnetics: a key tool for enhanced 4D hydrothermal exploration. This project aims to constrain the magnetic response and detectability of mantle and hotspot-related vents. Deep-sea hydrothermal systems are oases of unique life and are considered as the most valuable scientific and mining targets ever discovered in the oceans. The project is expected to enable a better understanding of these enigmatic features, in both their active and inactive phases. It will use new and highly powerful ....Deep-sea magnetics: a key tool for enhanced 4D hydrothermal exploration. This project aims to constrain the magnetic response and detectability of mantle and hotspot-related vents. Deep-sea hydrothermal systems are oases of unique life and are considered as the most valuable scientific and mining targets ever discovered in the oceans. The project is expected to enable a better understanding of these enigmatic features, in both their active and inactive phases. It will use new and highly powerful processing methods on existing data and on data collected off the Tasmanian continental shelf. The project is expected to unveil the characteristics of hydrothermalism in a wide range of contexts and improve Australia’s competitiveness in scientific and mining hydrothermal exploration and to potentially guarantee the supply of raw materials for future generations.Read moreRead less