Tectonics and Earth Systems

The Tectonics and Earth Systems (TES) Group explores how deformation of the solid earth over deep time built a human-habitable, resource-rich planet.

The Tectonics and Earth Systems Group is a part of the Mawson Centre for Geoscience and its research spans the Institute for Minerals and Energy Resources (IMER) and the Environment Institute.

TES Group members are geologists and geochemists, and our aim is to develop an evolving model of the world where every aspect is testable and mutable.

Gregory NP

The Proterozoic Birrindudu Basin in remote northern Australia—we endeavour to explore deep time through understanding the rock record, wherever it is best preserved.

Examination of core

Bo Yang examining core at Darwin

Research methodologies

We use geochronology, thermochronology, structural geology, geochemistry, igneous geology and sedimentology to unravel the tectonic geography of a region through deep time.

Our work is data focussed and built from the rock record. As such we work with geochemical proxies for tectonic processes, redox, salinity, productivity, erosion and hydrothermal activity, many of which are pioneering and developmental.

We are also investigating new, rapid, accurate dating techniques, such as laser-ablation analysis of Rb–Sr and K–Ca isotope systems via plasma mass spectrometry (see also our Metal Isotope Group) and are grappling with data analytical approaches to apply to the sizable and diverse data we generate and interpret.

Research aims

By combining these studies, we attempt to reconstruct the past continents and oceans of the world in a full plate-tectonic manner; focussing on the last 2 billion years of earth history, when we consider plate tectonics operated in a similar manner as it does today.

From these novel, full-earth, reconstructions we strive to quantify feedbacks between geosphere phenomena (such as mountain belt topographic evolution, ocean basin connectivity, and rift development), chemistry of the atmosphere/hydrosphere and the development of the biosphere.

Key research areas

  • Constraining full-plate topological reconstructions of the world from 2 Ga to present using the global rock record
  • Reconstructing ancient topography by deconvolving the rock record in ancient orogens and successor sedimentary basins
  • Understanding the evolving tectonic setting, water chemistry, ecology and resource endowment of major Proterozoic and Palaeozoic Basins
  • Deconvolving the tectonic complexity of pre-collision active margins in ancient orogens
  • Understanding the solid earth controls on transitions in the supra-geosphere earth
  • Developing novel laser-based isobaric geochronometers (e.g. Rb–Sr and K–Ca)

Projects

Boab tree

Boabs above carbonates of the greater McArthur Basin

  • Full plate tectonic reconstruction of the Neoproterozoic earth
    Major Partners: Professor Dietmar Müller (University of Sydney), Dr Sergei Pisarevsky (Curtin University), Dr Simon Williams (Northwest University, China), Dr Andrew Merdith (Laboratoire de Géologie, Lyon, France), Prof Theodore Razakamanana (Toliara University, Madagascar), Dr Donnelly Archibald (St Francis Xavier University, Canada), Professor Chris Clark (Curtin University), Dr Tim Johnson (Curtin University)
    Developed from Australian Research Council future fellowship FT120100340.

  • Tectonic geography of the McArthur Basin, Northern Australia
    Major partners: Northern Territory Geological Survey (NTGS), Santos Ltd, Origin Ltd, Imperial Oil and Gas, Todd River Resources, Associate Professor Anthony Dosseto (University of Wollongong), Professor Lukas Ackerman (Czech Academy of Sciences), Dr Marcus Kunzmann (CSIRO), Dr Amber Jarrett (Geoscience Australia), Professor Galen Halverson (McGill University, Canada)
    Funded by: Australian Research Council Linkage Project LP160101353 with Origin, Santos, NTGS and Imperial Oil and Gas as industry partners, additional funding by Todd River Resources.

Bolla Bollana Tilllite

The base of the Bolla Bollana Tillite in Termination Valley, Willouran Ranges, Northern Flinders.

People

Current group members Past group members
Professor Alan Collins Dr Grant Cox
Dr Juraj Farkas Dr Romana Dew
Dr Stijn Glorie Dr Brandon Alessio
Dr Morgan Blades Dr Gilby Jepson
Emeritus Professor John Foden Dr James Hall
Dr Tony Hall  
Dr Justin Payne  
Ms Sheree Armistead  
Mr Bo Yang  
Ms Georgina Virgo  
Mr Venkata Pavan Katuru  
Mr Jarred Lloyd  
Mr Darwinaji Subarkah  
Mr Jack Gillespie  
Mr Ahmad Redaa  
Dr Thomas Zack University of Gothenburg, Sweden
Prof Theodore Razakamanana Toliara University, Madagascar
Prof Saibal Gupta IIT Kharagpur, India
Prof Sarbani Patranabis-Deb ISI, Kolkata, India
Prof Sajeev Gupta IISc Bangalore, India
Prof Dietmar Müller University of Sydney
Dr Sergei Pisarevsky Curtin University
Dr Simon Williams Northwest University, China
Dr Andrew Merdith Laboratoire de Géologie, Lyon, France
Dr Donnelly Archibald St Francis Xavier University, Canada
Prof Chris Clark Curtin University
Dr Tim Johnson Curtin University
Prof Fred Jourdan Curtin University
Dr Christopher Morley PTTEP, Thailand
Prof Renata Schmitt UFRJ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Prof Marly Babinski USP, São Paulo, Brazil
Prof Ricardo Trindade USP, São Paulo, Brazil
Prof Antonio Pedrosa-Soares UFMG, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
Dr Pierre Sans-Jofre Université de Bretagne Occidentale, France
Prof Yves Godderis Géosciences Environnement Toulouse - Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées, France
Prof Yannick Donnedieu Centre Européen de Recherche et d'Enseignement des Géosciences de l'Environnement, Aix en Provence, France
Dr Ashleigh Hood University of Melbourne
Dr Maree Corkeron James Cook University
Dr Marcus Kunzmann CSIRO

 

 Articles by group members