People
Prof. Chris Kirkland, Team Leader
Professor Chris Kirkland is leader of the Timescales Group. Chris uses isotope geology to address industry pertinent research questions and reduce exploration risk.
Dr Milo Barham, Senior Research Fellow
Dr Milo Barham uses the detrital record to inform sediment system and crustal dynamics within the framework of tectonomagmatic events controlling mineral systems.
Dr Hugo Olierook, Research Fellow
Dr Hugo Olierook designs, executes and manages geochronology and geochemistry projects for the mining and mineral exploration industry.
Dr Michael Hartnady, Research Associate
Michael uses U-Pb geochronology, Hf and O isotope geochemistry, and structural mapping to investigate the record of magmatism, deformation and fluid flow within Earth’s crust.
Dr Janne Liebmann, Research Associate
Janne’s research focuses on a series of global events that occurred 2-3 billion years ago and permanently changed the face of the Earth (e.g. the first significant build-up of oxygen in the atmosphere and the emergence of continents above sea-level).
Dr Bruno Ribeiro, Research Associate
Bruno Ribeiro is a multidisciplinary geologist that applies a range of multi-mineral isotopic systems associated with mineral chemistry and petrology to investigate the deformation and tectonic record of Precambrian terranes worldwide.
Maximilian Dröllner, PhD student
Max aims for a reevaluation of the paradigm of heavy mineral sand deposit formation. An attempt will be made to present a universal model of deposit genesis, i.e. quantifying the fundamental geological controls.
Taryn Scharf, PhD Student
Taryn’s research applies geocomputing to the deconvolution of mineral grain histories. This work looks to develop new analytical tools that can be integrated with standard geological approaches for basin analysis and heavy mineral sand exploration.
Andreas Zametzer, PhD student
Andi’s research aims to reduce exploration risk through the application of novel isotope tools (Pb-Pb in K-feldspar and plagioclase, U-Pb and Sr in apatite) to Neoarchean volcano-sedimentary rocks within the Yilgarn Craton in Western Australia, famous for world-class gold deposits.
Isabel Zutterkirch, PhD student
Isabel is conducting research on the provenance of sedimentary rocks in Western Australia addressing their sediment transportation pathways derived from isotope (U-Pb, Lu-Hf, Pb-Pb, (U-Th)/He) fingerprinting.
Kathy Kuper, PhD student
Kathy’s research looks at mapping the Nd isotopic variation throughout the Fraser Zone of the Proterozoic Albany Fraser Orogen, as a means to reduce exploration risk on the margin of the Archean Yilgarn Craton in Western Australia by tracking juvenile domains.
Anthony Clarke, PhD student
Tony’s research aims to establish apatite as a new tool to track the evolution of the continental crust. Current models for continental crust development rely on the mineral zircon. However, zircons only record the history of evolved rocks. Therefore, Tony’s research will examine apatite which forms in less evolved mafic rocks. A detrital apatite database of Pb-Nd (model) ages will be developed and integrated with the zircon record to provide a more holistic description for how our planet developed.
Lucy Mathieson, PhD student
Lucy’s research aims to reduce mineral exploration risk in Australia by developing a new tool to track fluid mobility in space and time using Pb-loss mapping. Lucy utilizes the Pb-loss process in zircon to model and evaluate radiogenic-Pb mobility across Australia to determine whether there is both a spatial and temporal relationship between Pb mobility and other geological processes including, for example, mineralization, fault density and dyke emplacement.
PAST AFFILIATES
Alex Walker, Research Associate
Alex Walker used multiple sulphur isotope and trace element data to help constrain models of formation and modification of mineral systems. He has since transferred to the John de Laeter Centre at Curtin University to work on the National Mineral Map of Australia.
Concluded: Dec 2020
Dr Matthew Daggitt, Research Assistant
Matthew Daggitt uses computational methods to solve a wide range of geological problems. Matthew develops new software for the geosciences.
Concluded: Dec 2020
Dr Ruixue Wang, Adjunct Research Associate
Ruixue’s research projects focus on the metallogenic mechanism of bauxite and dating gold deposits using various methods (e.g., calcite/ankerite U-Pb, illite K-Ar and Rb-Sr).
Email: ruixue.wang@curtin.edu.au
David Fox, PhD student
David Fox is an economic geologist with research interests in understanding Archean and basin-hosted base-metal deposits. His PhD project is focussed on the development of a mineral systems model for an enigmatic hydrothermal Cu-Co deposit in the Pilbara Craton of Western Australia, using a variety of analytical techniques (e.g., isotope geochemistry, geochronology, ore characterisation).
PhD completed: Dec 2021
Gisela Gartmair, MRes student
Gisi’s research combines morphoanalysis with geochronology and geochemistry as a means to identify potential crystalline source regions and likely sediment routings responsible for heavy mineral accumulations along palaeoshorelines of the Eucla Basin, Australia.
MRes completed: Dec 2021