GEMOC ARC National Key Centre

 

GEMOC's International links

BACKGROUND

Gemoc has strong international links and these increased significantly through 2001.  These links were based dominantly in Asia for the first three years, including China, Japan, Mongolia, Myanmar, Thailand and the former USSR, but have since broadened to include substantial programs in France, (funded by IREX from 2000), Norway, Germany, Canada and the USA.
 
 

EXAMPLES OF ACTIVE FUNDED PROJECTS IN ASIA.  geophysical analysis of China Geotraverses (including gravity modelling) nature and geophysical signature of the lithosphere in southeastern China  crust-mantle interaction in southeastern China: the origin of the Yanshanian Granites trace element and isotopic characteristics of zircon as indicators of granite magma evolution  nature of the lithosphere in northwestern China (Tienshan Mountains in Xinjian) fundamental terrane boundaries in Japan nature of volcanism at collision margins: evidence from deep-sea ashes metallogenesis of southeastern China basaltic volcanism and basin development, north China thermal contrasts and paleogeotherms in Siberia, Mongolia, eastern China sapphire occurrences and origin characteristics and origins of diamonds (headless placers) in  SE Asia diamond exploration, tectonism, and geophysical nature of the   lithosphere, Siberia and E. Asia mantle terranes and tectonic analysis, Siberia Rodinia and Gondwana: dispersal and docking of Australian terranes in Asia

Wang Xiang, Bill Griffin and Xu Xisheng hard at work in the Nanjing University  Petrology Laboratory (Yu Jinhai in background)

FUNDED COLLABORATIVE PROJECTS COMMENCED OR ONGOING IN 2001 INCLUDE:

• The nature of lithosphere extension in the Taiwan region and implications for geodynamics in eastern China, with Professor S-L Chung, National University of Taiwan

• Re-Os dating of depletion and enrichment events in Siberian lithospheric mantle, with Dr. Z.V. Spetsius, Alrosa

• Analysis of off-craton lithospheric mantle in East Central Asia Orogenic Belt, with  Dr. V. Malkovets, Novosibirsk

• TerraneChron^TM analysis of the Amazon Craton, with WMC Resources

• TerraneChron^TM analysis of the Arivalli Craton, India, with Pasminco (now Anglo American)

• Canary Islands lithosphere and volcanism with Prof. E.-R. Neumann

• Tectonic domains in southern Norway  (using TerraneChron^TM), with Prof. T. Andersen (University Oslo) and Dr. B. Bingen (Norwegian Geological Survey

Sue O'Reilly, Jean-Yves Cottin, Stephanie Touron and Guillame Delpeche collecting xenoliths near the Mudgee vineyards

• Collaborative agreements negotiated with Drs Karsten Gohl and Kaj Hoernle (Alfred Wegener Institute, Bremerhaven) to participate in planned RV Sonne cruises to investigate the nature of the Campbell Plateau, Southern Ocean

• Characteristics of the lithospheric mantle wedge in the Japan, Kurile-Kamchatka and Luzon-Taiwan subduction zones

• Collaboration continued with Professors A. Giret and J.-Y. Cottin of the University of Jean Monnet, St Etienne.  A formal agreement between the two universities includes PhD exchange, academic exchange and research collaboration relevant to the nature of the lithosphere in the Kerguelen Archipelago, Crozet Islands and Hoggar.  Two PhD programs related to this project are ongoing with Guillaume Delpech (funded by an International Postgraduate Research Scholarship (IPRS), a GEMOC stipend and a French government Co-tutelle Scholarship) and Reynald Ethien (funded by a Co-tutelle Scholarship).  Dr M. Grégoire (University of Cape Town then CNRS, Toulouse from September) and Dr Bertrand Moine (the University of St Etienne) continued collaboration in this project.

• Lithosphere studies in the Massif Central France commenced in collaboration with the Universities of St Etienne and Clermont-Ferrand.  The postgraduate program of Stephanie Touron (funded by an IPRS, a RAACE award and a   Co-tutelle Scholarship) addresses this topic.

• Zircon Provenance (using TerraneChron^TM) from North Sea sediments, with    Dr Trine-Lise Knudsen (University of Oslo)

• Sulfides and the PGE budget in the mantle beneath the Massif Central with Prof. J.-L. Bodinier, (Université Montpellier) and Prof. P. Loran, (National Natural History Museum, Paris)

• Composition and crystal chemistry of mantle amphiboles with Dr M. Tiepolo,  Dr R. Vance and Prof. R. Oberti from the University of Pavia, Italy

• In situ Sr isotope analysis of marine fossils to constrain stratigraphic/tectonic reconstruction of terranes in New Zealand, with Dr C. Adams (Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences, New Zealand)

• South American diamonds with Dr Felix Kaminsky (KMD Diamond Exploration, Canada)

• Interpretation of the lithosphere structure of the Global Geoscience Transect 21 with Professor Yuan Xuecheng of the China Geological Survey

• Gravity Modelling (2-D) and integrated modelling of lithosphere structure of the Taiwan-Szechuan section of the Global Geoscience Transect 21.  This is a collaborative project with the newly-formed China Geological Survey and the Regional Gravity Centre, Xi'an.

• Igneous rocks, mineral deposits and tectonic setting: southeastern China and eastern Australia (with Nanjing University led in China by Prof. Zhou Xinmin with reciprocal funding from China sources).  This has been funded by AusAID under the ACILP scheme and ARC.

• Lithosphere Mapping, southeastern China (with Professor Xu Xisheng, Nanjing University, funded by the Chinese National Science Foundation)

• Lithosphere studies in China (with Professor Jianping Zheng (this follows on from a project with a Consortium of participating institutions in a 5-year National Priority Program funded by China NSF from 1997, led in China by Prof. Zhou Xinhua of the Geological Institute, Academy of Sciences, Beijing).  Results and material from GEMOC's previous International Links Project played a key role in the success of this project funding in China)

• Canadian shield lithosphere structure (with Kennecott Canada)

• Deccan plume mantle (with Pune University)

• Kerguelen Archipelago lithosphere structure (with the University of St Etienne)

• Inclusions in diamonds from Canadian lithosphere (with Kennecott Canada Exploration Inc.)

• Thailand diamonds, sapphires and basalts (with Kasetstart University, Myanmar Ministry of Mines and CSIRO)

(R-L) Simon Jackson, Norm Pearson, Elena Belousova and Sam Permanadewi dating zircons from Indonesian porphyries

Refer to the Research Program and Postgraduate sections of this Report for details of other projects.

GEMOC participants also have a wide range of other research collaborations with colleagues in UK, USA, Europe (France, Germany, Norway, Italy) as described in the section on Research Programs and in Appendix 5.