Archive

Wed 21st November @ noon, Rm 312.222 Abstract: The Wyoming province consists of Precambrian rocks that are exposed in the Laramide uplifts in the Rocky Mountains of Wyoming.  The province records a long history with rocks dating back to 3.4 billion years ago (Ga) and xenocrystic zircon grains dating to ca. 3.9 Ga.  Lu/Hf ratios on […]

Wed 14th November @ noon, Rm 312.222 Abstract: Large igneous provinces (LIP) are the manifestations of mantle plume activities, i.e. the rise of hot deep mantle materials. Mantle plumes play crucial roles in Earth’s tectonic and geodynamic evolution, climatic changes, and mass extinction events.  Two competing theories exist about the origin and operation of mantle plumes: (1) the […]

Wed 7th November @ noon, Rm 312.222 Abstract: The Desert Fireball Network (DFN) is a continental scale facility dedicated to observing meteorite dropping events. The DFN is expanding overseas to become part of the Global Fireball Observatory (GFO), with partnerships established with 14 other institutions, and cameras already deployed and running in the USA, Canada, UK and […]

Wed 31st October @ noon, Rm 312.222 Abstract: Sedimentary basins are sensitive recorders of both tectonic and surface processes, and generate relatively strong geophysical signals. As such they can be used to help to define past tectonic processes in regions of poor exposure, for example beneath the ice-sheets of Antarctica. Here we analyse some of the sedimentary […]

Wed 10th October @ noon, Rm 312.222 Abstract: Magmatic sulfides hosted by mafic/ultramafic rocks are the largest resource of Ni and platinum group elements (PGE) on the planet. The genesis of these deposits by magmatic processes of sulfide saturation, enrichment and fractionation are well constrained. However, there are some Ni and PGE deposits that occur as hydrothermal […]

Wed 22nd August @ noon, Rm 312.222 Abstract: The rare earth elements (REE) are widely studied by petrologists and mineralogists, as valuable petrogenetic tools. But they are also vital raw materials for a wide range of modern technology; in particular, Nd is an essential component of NdFeB permanent magnets that are widely used in wind turbines […]

Wed 8th August @ noon, Rm 312.222 Abstract: Partial melting and the segregation and migration of melt are the fundamental processes governing the formation and chemical differentiation of Earth’s lithosphere. These processes can be constrained using a combination of melt modelling, using new thermodynamic activity models which now allow the precise modelling of the melting of both […]

Wed 27th June @ noon, Rm 312.222 Abstract: An increasing number of tectonic studies rely on U-Pb ages of detrital zircon to identify sediment source regions.  Such studies can be confounded if zircon ages reflect original primary sources rather than final, proximal sources. Such is the case with ~ 1 Ga Grenville zircon in North America […]

Thurs 14th June @ noon, Rm 201.322 Abstract: Here we consider the tectonic evolution of the Tso Morari schist dome, reporting some new map scale observations concerning the kinematics and sense of shear in the mantling carapace shear zones to this North Himalayan metamorphic core complex. We provide new 40Ar/39Ar geochronological data that date the operation […]

Wed 23st May @ noon, Rm 312.222 Abstract: Arguably, Nuna represents the first actual supercontinent. Many uncertainties still exist regarding its paleogeographic evolution. Especially considering the position of proto-Australia, a lack of robust paleomagnetic data prevent a well-defined picture for large intervals during the Paleo- to Mesoproterozoic. I present new paleomagnetic results from two sets of […]