GEMOC ARC National Key CentreIntroducing GEMOC
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The success of GEMOC stems from an 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.
These three research foci 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.
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; 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 and geodynamic evolution. New ways of measuring the timing of Earth processes are encapsulating 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 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. 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.
A joint DeBeers - GEMOC field trip in October 2006 visited key kimberlite localities in South Africa. Here the group enjoys a pit-stop at the new open-air museum at the Kimberley ‘Big-Hole’ mine.
Mission
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• to provide a leading interdisciplinary research environment for the development of the next generation of Australia’s geoscientists • to deliver new concepts about the spatial and temporal distribution of Earth resources to the mineral and energy industries |
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. The postgraduate group is expanding and has developed an international presence.
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.
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). Extensive international collaborations extend our expertise and enhance our resource base.
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 extends our intellectual and funding base.
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
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.
NEW DEVELOPMENTS IN GEMOC IN 2006
The Earth and Planetary Evolution CoRE (Centre of Research Excellence)
Early in 2006, the new Vice-Chancellor, Professor Steven Schwartz, designated GEMOC as an existing Centre of Research Excellence (CoRE) and sought an expression of interest based on the appointment of about 5 new academic staff. As a result, positions for 1.5 Professors, 2 Senior lecturers and 2 Lecturers were advertised in October 2006.
The success of the National Key Centre for the Geochemical Evolution and Metallogeny of Continents stems from an interdisciplinary approach to understanding the way the Earth works, integrating the traditional disciplines of geochemistry, geophysics, geodynamics and tectonics. We have built up 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.
Advertisements were placed in late 2006 for 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; and cosmochemistry and meteoritics. Selection will take place through 2007.
Strategic outcomes
Our strategic goal is an integrated understanding of the evolution of the Earth and other planets. In achieving this we will deliver:
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• improved understanding of the composition and structure of the Earth from the mantle to the core and the dynamics of the Earth system • insights to planetary formation, evolution, composition and dynamics from Earth-based analogues
• fundamental insights into the processes that create and modify the continental mantle and crust and the timing and time-scales of these processes
• a better understanding of the assembly of the Australian continent and its geological architecture through work in Australia and global analogues
• results and concepts exportable to other terrains, both globally and to other potentially resource-rich areas of interest to Australian exploration companies
• an improved global framework for understanding the localisation of economic deposits
• a realistic 3-D geological framework for the interpretation of lithospheric-scale geophysical datasets
• 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
• new analytical strategies for determining the chemical and isotopic compositions of geological materials (including fluids) and the timing of Earth processes and events
• 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
• development of new robust geodynamic models of Earth evolution using constraints provided by geochemical datsets
• strategic and collaborative alliances with technology manufacturers in design and application innovation |