GEMOC ARC National Key Centre

GEMOC in 2007

 

Gemoc’s research success and distinctiveness lie in its interdisciplinary approach to understanding the way the Earth works, integrating information across traditional discipline boundaries including geochemistry, geophysics, geodynamics and tectonics. This perspective has made GEMOC a world leader in understanding the complex evolution of the uppermost 200 km of the Earth (the lithosphere), its global geodynamic behaviour, the timing of important Earth episodes, and its origins. The addition of two Federation Fellows over the last 5 years has broadened GEMOC’s horizons and expertise, with the development of Australia’s first world-class facility to measure short-lived U-series isotopes for investigating processes with short timescales (such as volcanism and erosion), and the establishment of a state-of-the-art high pressure/high temperature experimental facility to simulate the physical conditions of the Earth’s interior. These experimental data can probe the early history and evolution of the Earth’s core, mantle and crust and illuminate planetary analogues.

The research foci on the different shells of the deep Earth and on planetary origins in GEMOC are complementary, and are totally dependent on the continuing effective functioning of its unique, internationally recognised Geochemical Analysis Unit to provide geochemical data that underpins their outcomes and outputs.

During 2007, GEMOC’s research expertise and capability have been enhanced by the implementation of Macquarie’s CoRE (Concentration of Research Excellence) strategy (see below), resulting in the expansion of our in-house expertise to include experimental rheology, geodynamic and geophysical modelling and computational Earth simulations.

Extensive international collaborations extend our expertise and enhance GEMOC’s resource base.

GEMOC's strategic focus The main targets of GEMOC’s original activities addressed large-scale problems related to lithosphere evolution and understanding the relevance of different types of crust-mantle domains to area selection for mineral exploration. These have broadened since GEMOC became self-funded in 2002, to involve whole-mantle perspectives of geodynamics, far-field and feedback effects on the lithosphere that shape Earth’s crust on which we live, and planetary studies that relate to Earth’s formation, differentiation and geochemical/geodynamic evolution. New ways of measuring the timing of Earth processes are defining the fourth dimension (time) with increasing clarity for crust, mantle, core and magmatic events. New capabilities in high-pressure experimental work are simulating deep Earth conditions, another complementary perspective to probing the early history and evolution of Earth and illuminating planetary analogues. Industry collaboration has increased with funded large-scale collaborative projects related to lithosphere evolution, crustal generation and diamond formation and fingerprinting. The delivery of new tools and a new framework of terrane analysis to the mineral exploration industry has generated such collaboration. Funded projects dealing with magma-related Ni deposits, plume magmatism and PGE deposits, diamond exploration, and deep-lithosphere structure through time, capitalise on our depth of intellectual property about deep Earth processes from the lithosphere to the core.

Bill Griffin and Sue O’Reilly examining unusual “outcrops” of eclogite on a field trip in Brittany.

Mission

This Mission Statement has evolved since GEMOC commenced in 1995, to reflect the evolution of GEMOC’s activities to probe Earth geodynamics beyond the lithosphere. Current projects are extending our horizons further to planetary composition and dynamics. The postgraduate group is constantly expanding and has developed to reflect strong international research links.

GEMOC's context in 2007

A short history of GEMOC: The National Key Centre for the Geochemical Evolution and Metallogeny of Continents (GEMOC) formally commenced in January 1996 and was funded under the ARC Key Centre scheme for 6 years. Under the government regulations for this round of Key Centres, there was no provision for extension of Centre funding beyond the original six-year term. A detailed business plan was required in the application to demonstrate how the Centre could continue and maintain its identity after the Commonwealth funding term. This business plan succeeded and the evolved GEMOC started its new phase in 2002 and is continuing with an independent, well-funded base.

GEMOC’s funding base from 2002: This funding, like a good investment portfolio, has a healthy, risk-minimising diversity ranging across traditional competitive schemes such as those available from the Australian Research Council, to substantial industry collaborative projects. It also includes provision of value-added products to the mineral exploration industry (see the section on Industry Interaction) and one-off opportunities such as the competitive DEST Systemic Infrastructure Initiative in 2002 that granted over $5 million to enable GEMOC’s Technology Development Program to stay at the forefront (see the section on Technology Development). Extensive international collaborations extend our expertise and enhance our resource base.

GEMOC AND THE EARTH AND PLANETARY CoRE STRATEGY: In 2006, Vice-Chancellor Professor Steven Schwartz, designated GEMOC as an existing Concentration of Research Excellence (CoRE) in Earth and Planetary Evolution at Macquarie. The CoRE is to be supported by new staff appointed from 2007 to enhance and expand research expertise and performance. GEMOC has built up an interdisciplinary approach to understanding the way the Earth works, integrating the traditional disciplines of geochemistry, geophysics, geodynamics and tectonics. We have developed cutting-edge isotope, geochemical and experimental instrumentation and strong collaborations with national and international researchers and industry and international geoscientists. The Earth and Planetary Evolution CoRE seeks to build on these strengths to define the processes driving Earth’s global internal dynamics, and to understand how these have generated the present chemical and physical structure of our planet through time. New and reinforcing expertise from five CoRE recruits will now allow expansion into realistic geodynamic modelling and geologically significant modelling of geophysical datasets by combining new computational expertise with existing geochemical, petrological, tectonic and experimental knowledge bases and approaches. It will also enable continuing development of world-leading methodologies and applications in geochemistry (including isotopic) and especially for in situ (laser-ablation) analysis.

Advertisements sought applicants in the fields of rheology of rocks and minerals; geochemical analysis, lithosphere and Earth dynamics; geophysical imaging of Earth’s interior; dynamic modelling of Earth’s mantle; isotope and trace element geochemistry; cosmochemistry and meteoritics. Professor Bill Griffin, Dr Tracy Rushmer, and Dr Craig O’Neill commenced in 2007 and Dr Juan Carlos Afonso and Dr Bruce Schaefer will commence in 2008.

GEMOC’s linkages and alliances: GEMOC has significantly evolved and expanded from its original base with shifts in the original linkages and expansion in collaborations. Strong new national and international collaborative research links and programs have emerged, and robust ongoing engagement with industry (mineral exploration and technology manufacturing) partners through collaborative projects continues to fulfil one of GEMOC’s original goals and extend our intellectual and funding base.

“Strong new national and international collaborative research links and programs have emerged, and robust ongoing engagement with industry (mineral exploration and technology manufacturing) partners”

GEMOC had a high profile in both the organisation and scientific program at the 2007 European Mantle Workshop (EMAW), held in Ferrara in August 2007 (see International Links and GEMOC Communications 2007).

Scientific philisophy

GEMOC’s distinctiveness lies in its interdisciplinary and integrated approach to understanding how the Earth works as a 4-dimensional dynamic system (in space and time).

This approach links...

petrology and geochemistry
experimental petrology and petrophysics
geophysics
petrophysics
tectonics
numerical and dynamical modelling

within the important contexts of...

time and thermal state

to understand how Earth’s core-mantle system ultimately controls crustal tectonics, and the assembly and destruction of continents through time.

GEMOC is also distinctive in its aim to pursue parallel interlinked basic and strategic/applied research programs with targeted development of new geochemical analytical methodologies, geodynamic modelling protocols and experimental design.

Hoggar Region, Algeria (see International Links).

Strategic outcomes

Our strategic goal is an integrated understanding of the evolution of the Earth and other planets. In achieving this we will deliver:

This report documents achievement of these goals in 2007 and aims for 2008

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