Research Topics within Earth Materials

Earth Materials studies at RSES focus on the interrelated chemical and physical behaviour of rocks and minerals using state-of-the-art facilities for characterisation and mechanical testing under geologically relevant pressure-temperature conditions. The goal is to understand the structure and chemical composition of planets and the processes by which they evolve.

The size of the Earth, the chasm of geological time, and our planet's chemical and mineralogical complexity all present major challenges for laboratory studies. Pressure-temperature conditions within the Earth's interior reach 3 million atmospheres and more than 4000^oC.   Relevant timescales range from the 1 second period of a seismic wave to the 4.5 billion year age of the Earth.   Microscopic defects control the mechanical behaviour of large-scale faults.  

Earth Materials Research Topics

	Virtual Earth	The Virtual Earth is a 3D digital rendition of our planet, including the interpreted geometry of subducted slabs from modern and ancient subduction zones around the world. The slabs are modelled as triangulated meshes that will be made available as open source data (through AuScope) accessible to the general geological community as point-set and DXF formats. This allows geologists and geophysicists, for example, to examine slab geometry (in 3D virtual reality) and to test new concepts about Earth processes.
	Dating Deformation	To understand the tectonic evolution of the Earth we need to know when events occur, and how fast they take place. The 40 Ar/ 39 Ar system is unique in that it allows both geochronology and geospeedometry, as well as direct dating of fabrics, where the effect of different deformational events can be preserved in a single rock, or grain. Regional metamorphism as well as short-lived metamorphic events can be distinguished and dated using SHRIMP. Microstructural analysis with 40 Ar/ 39 Ar geochronology offers a powerful and complementary tool to determine the temporal evolution of mountain belts.
	Tectonic Evolution of the Alpine-Himalayan Mountain Chain	The Alpine-Himalayan mountain chain was caused by the closure of the Tethyan Ocean, and extends from the European Alps, through the Aegean Sea and the Anatolides, to the Himalayan ranges of northern India and southern China, through SE Asia, Papua New Guinea, out into the SW Pacific to New Caledonia and New Zealand. Research undertaken aims to understand the evolution of the mountain chain from its beginning into the future, and ranges from reconstruction of its 3D evolution, to detailed specification of its time history at a small number of control points.
	Tectonic Reconstruction using Pplates	Pplates is open source software developed at RSES as part of the ACcESS MNRF. Pplates uses 2D deformable meshes to move plates and associated data in a 3D Earth, allowing effects such as extension, shortening and tearing to be taken into account. Researchers use this reconstruction technology to introduce basic geodynamics (e.g. isostasy) into tectonic reconstruction.