Fluid chemistry and critical mineral enrichment in salty metamorphic belts. Several geological regions in Australia are worth billions of dollars to our economy in their contained copper-goldcobalt and uranium-rare earth element mineral deposits. These regions will continue to be important to Australia as the world transitions to a renewable energy economy because they can provide some of the most critical metals needed for that transition: Cu, Co, rare earth elements. This project aims to provi ....Fluid chemistry and critical mineral enrichment in salty metamorphic belts. Several geological regions in Australia are worth billions of dollars to our economy in their contained copper-goldcobalt and uranium-rare earth element mineral deposits. These regions will continue to be important to Australia as the world transitions to a renewable energy economy because they can provide some of the most critical metals needed for that transition: Cu, Co, rare earth elements. This project aims to provide a fundamental quatitative understanding of the geological processes that form these deposits. We will conduct experiments to generate quantitative models of the metamorphic and structural processes that control the liberation and migration of highly saline fluids, which are ideal for transporting a large range of metals.Read moreRead less
The carbonate geology of the critical metal niobium. This project aims to understand how pyrochlore, the major ore mineral of the critical metal niobium, forms in
Earth’s crust. Niobium is exclusively mined from carbonatite magma bodies in Brazil and Canada, despite proven
Australian resources. It is used in high strength steel alloys in the construction and transport industries. Expected
research outcomes include understanding how pyrochlore forms in carbonatites, development of exploration too ....The carbonate geology of the critical metal niobium. This project aims to understand how pyrochlore, the major ore mineral of the critical metal niobium, forms in
Earth’s crust. Niobium is exclusively mined from carbonatite magma bodies in Brazil and Canada, despite proven
Australian resources. It is used in high strength steel alloys in the construction and transport industries. Expected
research outcomes include understanding how pyrochlore forms in carbonatites, development of exploration tools
to locate niobium ore bodies which are unexposed at the surface, and investigation of environmentally and
economically sustainable technologies for metallurgical extraction of niobium from ore. The research is intended
to benefit Australia’s critical metals exploration and mining industries.Read moreRead less