Introducing GEMOC

Mission

  • to define the processes driving Earth’s internal dynamics, and understand how these have generated the present chemical and physical structure of our planet through time, integrating petrological, geochemical and geophysical information

  • to deliver new concepts about the spatial and temporal distribution of Earth resources to the mineral and energy industries and the next generation of students

    • This Mission Statement has evolved since GEMOC commenced in 1995, to reflect the evolution of GEMOC’s activities to consider Earth Geodynamics beyond the Lithosphere. Current projects are extending our horizons further to planetary composition and dynamics.

    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 2002 to involve whole-mantle perspectives of geodynamics, and far-field and feedback effects on the lithosphere that shape Earth’s crust on which we live. New ways of measuring the timing of Earth processes are encapsulating the fourth dimension with increasing clarity for crust, mantle 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’s core, mantle and crust and illuminating planetary analogues.

    Industry collaboration has increased with funded large-scale projects related to lithosphere evolution and crustal generation studies, delivering new tools and a new framework of terrane analysis to the mineral exploration industry. In addition, new projects dealing with magma-related Ni deposits, plume magmatism and PGE deposits, and diamond exploration, capitalise on our depth of intellectual property about deep Earth processes from the lithosphere to the core.

    GEMOC's context

    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 has succeeded and the evolved GEMOC started its new phase in 2002 with an independent well-funded base for the next five years.

    GEMOC’s funding base from 2002: This funding, like a good investment portfolio, has a healthy, risk-minimising diversity ranging across competitive traditional 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).

    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 has fulfilled one of GEMOC’s original goals.

    Scientific philisophy

    Scientific Philosophy
    GEMOC’s distinctiveness lies in its interdisciplinary and integrated approach to interpreting Earth’s lithosphere as a 4-dimensional dynamic system (in space and time).

    This approach links...
    petrology and geochemistry
    experimental petrology
    geophysics
    petrophysics
    tectonics
    numerical and dynamical modelling
    within the important contexts of...
    time (the 4th dimension) and thermal state
    to understand how Earth’s core-mantle system controls crustal tectonics, and the assembly and destruction of continents through time.

    Strategic outcomes

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

  • improved understanding of the composition and structure of the Earth from the mantle to the core and the dynamics of the Earth system
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  • insights to planetary formation, evolution, composition and dynamics from Earth-based analogues
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  • fundamental insights into the processes that create and modify the continental mantle and crust and the timing and time-scales of these processes
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  • a better understanding of the assembly of the Australian continent and its geological architecture through work in Australia and global analogues
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  • results and concepts exportable to other terrains, both globally and to other potentially resource-rich areas of interest to Australian exploration companies
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  • an improved global framework for understanding the localisation of economic deposits
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  • a realistic 3-D geological framework for the interpretation of lithospheric-scale geophysical datasets
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  • a training program for senior undergraduate and postgraduate students (and continuing education) that will help maintain the technological edge of the Australian mineral industry and improve the industry’s ability to rapidly assimilate new concepts and methodologies
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  • new analytical strategies for determining the chemical and isotopic compositions of geological materials (including fluids) and the timing of Earth processes and events
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  • new experimental petrology approaches to probing the nature of the deep Earth (core and lower mantle)
    •  
  • development of in situ analytical methods (including dating) to maximise information encoded in mineral zoning and to enhance interpretation of data using spatial contexts
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  • strategic and collaborative alliances with technology manufacturers in design and application innovation
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    This report documents the achievement of these goals

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    Annual Report 2004

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