Where to find giant porphyry and epithermal gold and copper deposits. This project will determine when and where giant gold or copper deposits should form, consolidating links with Indonesia, and using South East Asia as a vast natural laboratory in which to examine the effect of large-scale tectonic processes. The project will produce a four-dimensional virtual exploration toolkit to show how to apply the methods.
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
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE100100064
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$450,000.00
Summary
A facility for sensitive and precise isotopic dating of the earth's and extraterrestrial rocks. SPIDE2R will be a new generation mass spectrometer for very precise and sensitive dating and forensics applications in earth and planetary sciences, hydrology, climate studies, and nuclear and archaeological fingerprinting. The unprecedented sensitivity of this unique instrument will provide enhanced capabilities for solving long-standing problems requiring precise geological time resolution, as well ....A facility for sensitive and precise isotopic dating of the earth's and extraterrestrial rocks. SPIDE2R will be a new generation mass spectrometer for very precise and sensitive dating and forensics applications in earth and planetary sciences, hydrology, climate studies, and nuclear and archaeological fingerprinting. The unprecedented sensitivity of this unique instrument will provide enhanced capabilities for solving long-standing problems requiring precise geological time resolution, as well as opening new areas of research. It will be the instrument of choice for analysing small, rare samples such as those returned by space missions. The Australian-built high sensitivity source and ion detection systems can be retrofitted onto other mass spectrometers, opening a new area of commercialisation.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE160100155
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$648,000.00
Summary
NanoMin; Quantitative Mineral Mapping of Nanoscale Processes. NanoMin: quantitative mineral mapping of nanoscale processes:
The project seeks to establish an electron microscope-based mineral mapping and analysis facility to provide rapid, quantitative and statistically reliable mineralogical, petrographic and metallurgical data unobtainable by other means in fine-grained materials. The proposed equipment can identify minerals in complex mixtures of sub-µm-grain size materials by virtue of an i ....NanoMin; Quantitative Mineral Mapping of Nanoscale Processes. NanoMin: quantitative mineral mapping of nanoscale processes:
The project seeks to establish an electron microscope-based mineral mapping and analysis facility to provide rapid, quantitative and statistically reliable mineralogical, petrographic and metallurgical data unobtainable by other means in fine-grained materials. The proposed equipment can identify minerals in complex mixtures of sub-µm-grain size materials by virtue of an integrated software and hardware system called NanoMin which incorporates a spectral deconvolution engine combined with a mineral spectra database. A key limitation in understanding complex materials is sub-micron to nanometer scale spatial variability of mineralogical phases. Imaging and quantifying these phases is now possible with the NanoMin system. This promises to open up petrological, geobiological, and materials science research in complex fine-grained materials.Read moreRead less
Biosphere, hydrocarbon and ore fluid interactions in the Early Precambrian. Ore deposits and petroleum are important for economic and social areas of Australia's growth. New discoveries are needed to maintain Australia's wealth as mines reach the end of operations and petroleum supplies decrease. This project will demonstrate how ore fluids and hydrocarbons interact in the geological environment. It should, therefore greatly expand the conceptual framework in which to explore for both mineral an ....Biosphere, hydrocarbon and ore fluid interactions in the Early Precambrian. Ore deposits and petroleum are important for economic and social areas of Australia's growth. New discoveries are needed to maintain Australia's wealth as mines reach the end of operations and petroleum supplies decrease. This project will demonstrate how ore fluids and hydrocarbons interact in the geological environment. It should, therefore greatly expand the conceptual framework in which to explore for both mineral and hydrocarbon resources, particularly in old, deep and hot basins, which are considered to be the last frontiers of exploration. Outcomes concerning the nature of early life will be of global interest.Read moreRead less
Carbon dioxide sequestration more than 3.7 billion years ago and the oldest climate cycles. More than 3.7 billion years ago atmospheric greenhouse CO2 was sequestered into limestone sedimentary rocks deposited in ice-free oceans. Why then, with the 30-25 per cent cooler sun in those times, was our earth not frozen over? Solving this oldest climate problem, will give the deepest-time perspective to the earth's changing climate feedback loops.
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE110100047
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$420,000.00
Summary
Events through time: eruptions, extinctions, impacts, ore-bodies and orogenies - upgrading the national argon geochronology network. Nine universities and the CSIRO will replace aged and obsolete equipment with new mass spectrometers which will be strategically placed at opposite ends of our continent to improve access for Australian researchers to these instruments for which there is high demand. These instruments will allow more exact dating of events such as eruptions, impacts, climate change ....Events through time: eruptions, extinctions, impacts, ore-bodies and orogenies - upgrading the national argon geochronology network. Nine universities and the CSIRO will replace aged and obsolete equipment with new mass spectrometers which will be strategically placed at opposite ends of our continent to improve access for Australian researchers to these instruments for which there is high demand. These instruments will allow more exact dating of events such as eruptions, impacts, climate change, biological extinctions, mineral deposits and mountain building.Read moreRead less
How has the continental lithosphere evolved? Processes of assembly, growth, transformation and destruction. We will use new in-situ analytical techniques, developed In-house, to date the formation and modification of specific volumes of the subcontinental lithospheric mantle, and to define the temporal and genetic relationships between mantle events and crustal formation. Quantitative modelling will investigate the geodynamic consequences of spatial and temporal variations in lithosphere composi ....How has the continental lithosphere evolved? Processes of assembly, growth, transformation and destruction. We will use new in-situ analytical techniques, developed In-house, to date the formation and modification of specific volumes of the subcontinental lithospheric mantle, and to define the temporal and genetic relationships between mantle events and crustal formation. Quantitative modelling will investigate the geodynamic consequences of spatial and temporal variations in lithosphere composition and thermal state. Magmatic products will be used to assess the roles of mantle plumes and delamination in construction of the lithosphere and xenolith studies will investigate the evolution of oceanic plateaus. The results will provide a framework for interpreting the architecture of lithospheric terranes and their boundaries.Read moreRead less
How has continental lithosphere evolved? Processes of assembly, growth, transformation and destruction. Novel in-situ analytical and dating techniques will be used on samples from the Earth's mantle and deep crust to define the processes by which the continents and their roots (to depths of 250 km) have been formed, modified or destroyed at different times throughout Earth's 4.6 billion year evolution. The role of oceanic plateaus and mantle plumes in building protocontinents or modifying lithos ....How has continental lithosphere evolved? Processes of assembly, growth, transformation and destruction. Novel in-situ analytical and dating techniques will be used on samples from the Earth's mantle and deep crust to define the processes by which the continents and their roots (to depths of 250 km) have been formed, modified or destroyed at different times throughout Earth's 4.6 billion year evolution. The role of oceanic plateaus and mantle plumes in building protocontinents or modifying lithospheric volumes will be evaluated. The results will provide a more robust framework for interpreting the architecture of Earth's lithosphere and will have relevance to the formation and location of resources such as Ni, PGEs, Au and diamonds.Read moreRead less
Engineering planetary habitability: Earth’s first billion years. This project aims to establish the critical physical-chemical factors in the early surface environment and tectonic regime that supported early life and continuing habitability. Life was established on Earth within the first billion years of its 4.56-billion-year history. This project’s integrated geological and geochemical study will investigate this period’s rare sedimentary and volcanic record, including the oldest fossiliferous ....Engineering planetary habitability: Earth’s first billion years. This project aims to establish the critical physical-chemical factors in the early surface environment and tectonic regime that supported early life and continuing habitability. Life was established on Earth within the first billion years of its 4.56-billion-year history. This project’s integrated geological and geochemical study will investigate this period’s rare sedimentary and volcanic record, including the oldest fossiliferous sequences discovered recently, to show how the early Earth’s chemistry supported life and evolution. The project expects to enhance understanding of why life prospers on some habitable zone planets but not on others.Read moreRead less