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Thursday August 4th
Time: 6pm – 7:30pm (talk starts 6.30)
Coopers Alehouse at the Earl, Pulteney Street Adelaide
Claire Faulkner, Dana Imbrogno, Lluka Johns-Mead and Ben Robertson, Adelaide Uni.
Claire Falkner
Talk Title : O’man, look at these isotopes!
For my Honours project, redox-sensitive chromium isotopes will be measured to better understand processes that occur during the formation and alteration of oceanic lithosphere. Since we cannot simply drill from the seafloor to the mantle, ophiolites can model the profile of oceanic lithosphere. An ophiolite is a slab of oceanic lithosphere obducted onto continental crust. One of the largest and best-preserved ophiolites is in Northern Oman. In this project, seventeen whole-rock samples from the Oman ophiolite sequence have been analysed. These samples range from mantle peridotites through to pillow lavas and white smokers. The aim is to provide the first Cr isotope profile for this ophiolite and relate this to the magmatic processes and redox conditions in the mantle/crust/seawater system.
Dana Imbrogno
Talk Title : Of Quartz they're deformed! A microstructural study in Arkaroola
The Unconformity seen at the Arkaroola Waterhole is a significant geological location, with this transition representing a 750 Ma gap of time. This area went from being within a supercontinent to the beginning of 350 million years of basin formation that was the response of the breakup of Rodinia. This site is being submitted as a nomination for world heritage, and the project is looking to combine past research and present new information on the hot granites, the Adelaidean rocks and the relationship between the base of the Adelaidean and the basement Mesoproterozoic granites.
Lluka Johns-Mead
Talk Title: Nundorite: ‘REEally’ Peralkaline Rocks!
Nundorite is a strange, peralkaline rock from the Koonenberry belt in north-west NSW. Its genesis
and relationship to the surrounding Mount Arrowsmith Volcanics is unknown. Nundorite is low in
silica and is enriched in Zr, Nb and rare earth elements (REEs), critical minerals becoming increasingly important for the production and development of new technologies. Despite this, there has been little research done on these rocks and there has been no geological exploration in the area. This project aims to determine the composition and evolution of Nundorite and its geological context, as well as evaluate the critical mineral ore potential of this rock package.
Ben Robertson
Talk Title: Bats, Bones and Benches: The Palaeontology and Geochronology of Inner Robertson Cave Naracoorte.
Robertson cave located is located ?15km NE of NCNP (Naracoorte Caves National Park), and contains two main chambers, a larger main chamber and the inner bell-shaped chamber. In this study the bell-shaped chamber is being analysed to ascertain the paleontological, paleoenvironmental and paleoconservation significance of the Inner Chamber sedimentary sequence. This will help better understand the climatic history of the region as well as identify if there is correlation between the climate and sediment data previously ascertained from sister caves in Naracoorte and Robertson Cave. To achieve this, OSL (optically stimulated luminescence) and geochemical analysis of the sedimentary infill has been focussed on as this allows for in depth time ranges to be well
established.
Free.
First Thursday of every month the South Australian branch of the Australian Institute of
Geoscientists holds informal geoscientific talks in a casual setting. Attendance at this meeting can also contribute towards AIG’s Registered Professional Geoscientist (RPGeo) program (see
https://bookings.aig.org.au/)
