The CCFS research program

The CCFS CoE builds on world-class infrastructure and world-leading research expertise and track record, and has already multiplied the capabilities of the Collaborating and Partner Institutions. The research program aims to enhance existing strengths in geology, geochemistry, geophysics, experimental petrology and petrophysical/dynamic modelling, and to integrate knowledge and datasets from these disparate fields

Major Research Objectives

to determine, using constraints from Earth’s oldest crust and mantle, lunar samples and meteorites, the role of fluids in creating a dynamic planet
to understand how Earth’s core-mantle system and its interaction with fluids have produced periodic cataclysms and controlled the evolution of the crust, hydrosphere and atmosphere
to develop new approaches to petrophysical and dynamic modelling, integrating geophysics, geodynamics and geochemistry
to develop an integrated Earth model linking tectonics, internal structure and dynamics, and the fluid-mediated transport of mass and energy from the interior to the surface
to develop new approaches to interpreting geophysical imagery, for application to basic science and resource exploration
to develop a new understanding of the timing and distribution of giant resource systems, based on a new level of understanding of Earth’s fluid plumbing systems, processes and dynamics
to undertake the strategic, frontline developments in hardware, analytical methodologies, theory and software technology that are required to fulfil the research goals

These objectives are being addressed through the Research Projects described below.

The scope of the research, and thus of the Foundation Projects, is determined by the funding base allocated by ARC with strategic leverage planned to expand available resources.

FOUNDATION RESEARCH PROGRAMS

Foundation Programs for 2011-2014 were funded from the ARC Centre funds allocation, and include components from the Universities’ funding support. The first tranche of Foundation Programs was chosen from formal applications by CCFS participants based on presentations and discussions at a 2-day meeting in October 2010, ratified by the Executive Committee, and accepted on report to the Advisory Board. Foundation Programs are designed to be interdisciplinary, cross-node and to foster early-career/postgraduate researchers participation.

The research directions of the Foundation Programs were designed to contribute to the overarching three major Themes identified to bring about a new level of understanding of Earth and its resource dispersion. They include three integrated projects targeted at Technology Development required to deliver the research goals.

Summaries and progress are detailed in Appendix 1
Appendix 2 presents the Flagship Programs set up from 2014, and the 2015 workplan
Independently funded basic research projects are listed in Appendix 3

Foundation Research Programs

Program	Coordinator and main Centre personnel
1. The TARDIS program: Tracking ancient residues distributed in the silicate Earth	O’Reilly, Griffin, Pearson, Fiorentini, O’Neill, Afonso, Yang, Cliff, Martin, Kilburn, Belousova, González-Jiménez (ECSTAR, ECR), Satsukawa (ECSTAR, ECR), Huang (ECR), Locmelis (ECR) Castillo, Lu, McGowan, Saunders, Tilhac, Xiong, Xu, Yao (PhDs)
2a. Metal sources and transport mechanisms in the deep lithosphere	Fiorentini, McCuaig, Barley, Rushmer, Griffin, Pearson, Evans, Reddy, Kilburn, Locmelis (ECR), Turner, O'Reilly Koelleger, Davies, Owen (PhDs), Guergouz (MSc)
2b. Dynamics of Earth’s mantle: assessing the relative roles of deformation and magmatism	Reddy, Kaczmarek Gray (PhD)
3. Generating and stabilising the earliest continental lithosphere - Late granite blooms	Griffin, O’Reilly, O’Neill, Pearson, Van Kranendonk, Belousova, Gréau (ECR) Murphy, Gao, Tretiakova (PhDs)
4. Two-phase flow within Earth’s mantle: modelling, imaging and application to flat subduction settings	O’Neill, Afonso, Yang, Li, Gorczyk Schinella, Grose, Jiang, Ramzan, Oliveira-Bravo, Peng, Tao, Zhu, Huang, Wasiliev, Matthews (PhDs)
5. Early evolution of the Earth system and the first life, from multiple sulfur isotopes	Barley, Fiorentini, Kilburn, Wacey, Van Kranendonk, Wilde, Nemchin, Griffin Isaac (PhD), Djokic (MPhil)
6. Detecting Earth’s rhythms: Australia’s Proterozoic record in a global context	Li, Pisarevsky, Wingate, Wang, (ECR, ECSTAR) Huang, Zhu, Yao, Pang, Tao, L. Liu, Y. Liu, Meng (PhDs), Niu (MSc)
7. Fluid regimes and the composition of the early Earth	Wilde, Nemchin, Grange, Barley, Kusiak, Kaczmarek, Pidgeon Wang, Ge, Sun, Li (S) (PhDs)
8. Diamond Genesis: Fluids in deep-Earth processes	Griffin, O’Reilly, Pearson, Cliff, Martin, Kilburn, Howell (ECR) Rubanova, Yao (PhDs)
9. 4D lithospheric evolution and controls on mineral system distribution: The Western Superior-Yilgarn comparison	McCuaig, Fiorentini, Kemp, Belousova, Cliff, Kirkland, Van Kranendonk, Lu (ECR, ECSTAR) Bjorkman, Parra-Avila, Stevenson, Iaccheri (PhDs)
10a. 3D architecture of the western Yilgarn Craton	Gessner, Van Kranendonk, Tyler, Belousova, Yang, Afonso, O’Neill, Gorczyk, Zhang (ECR)
10b. Zircon Lu-Hf constraints on Precambrian crustal evolution in Western Australia	Wingate, Belousova, Tyler Mole (PhD)
Technology Development
Cameca Ion microprobe development: maximising quality and efficiency of CCFS activities within UWA Ion Probe Facility	Kilburn, Cliff, Griffin, Fiorentini, McCuaig, Barley, Pearson, Reddy, Martin, Huang (ECR), Howell (ECR) Gao, Xiong (PhDs)
Frontiers in integrated laser-sampled trace-element and isotopic geoanalysis	Pearson, Cliff, Griffin, O’Reilly, Kilburn, Huang (ECR), Gréau (ECR) Gao, Genske, McGowan, Xiong (PhDs)
Optimising mineral processing procedures: From rock to micro-grains	Pearson, Belousova, Daczko, wide spectrum of Centre researchers

2014 Flagship Programs

Program	Coordinator and main Centre personnel
1. Deep Earth fluids in collision zones and cratonic roots (TARDIS II) Themes 1, 2, 3 Earth Fluids, Earth Architecture	O’Reilly, Griffin, Pearson, Cliff, RA (TBA), Kilburn, Martin, Huang (ECR), Satsukawa (ECSTAR, ECR), Abily(ECSTAR, ECR), Gréau, Saunders (ECR’s) McGowan, Xiong, Xu, Tilhac, Colas, Lu, Liptai (PhDs)
2. Genesis, transfer and focus of fluids and metals Themes 2 and 3 Earth Fluids	Fiorentini, McCuaig, Foley, O’Reilly, Griffin, Reddy, Rushmer, Adam, Turner, Lu (ECR), Bagas, Gorczky, Piazolo, Kilburn, Clarke Thébaud, Guergouz, Bjorkman, Xu (PhDs) Arting, Burley, Johannesen (MSc)
3. Modelling fluid and melt flow in mantle and crust Themes 2 and 3 Earth Fluids, Earth Architecture	O’Neill, Afonso, Yang, Li, Foley, Clark, S. Zhang (ECR), Shan, Gorczky, Smith, O’Reilly, Griffin Wasilev, Ramzan, Oliviera, Grose, Jiang (PhDs)
4. Atmospheric, environmental and biological evolution Theme 1 Earth Fluids, Earth Architecture	Van Kranendonk, Wacey, Fiorentini, Foley, McCuaig, Cliff, Kilburn, Grange, Kirkland, Alard Baumgartner (PhD), Djokic (MPhil)
5. Australia’s Proterozoic record in a global context Themes 2 and 3 Earth Architecture	Li, Pisarevsky, Wang, Yao (ECR), Wingate, O’Reilly, Griffin, Pearson, Belousova, McCuaig, Wang (ECR) Tao, l. Liu, Y. Liu (PhDs)
6. Fluid regimes and composition of early Earth Themes 1 and 3 Earth Fluids, Earth Architecture	Wilde, Nemchin, Grange, Martin, O’Neill Gu, Ge (PhD)
7. Precambrian architecture and crustal evolution in WA Themes1,2 and 3 Earth Architecture	Kirkland, Belousova, Gréau, Gessner, Yuan, Merdie, Wingate, Tyler (ECR) PhD/ECR 2015 (TBA)
Technology Development
Cameca Ion microprobe Themes 1, 2, 3 Earth Fluids, Earth Architecture	Kilburn, Cliff, Martin, Fiorentini, McCuaig, Wacey, Wilde, Griffin Students of CIs and ECRs utilising the Ion Probe Facility are active in the program
GAU multi-instrument development Themes 1, 2, 3 Earth Fluids, Earth Architecture	Pearson, Griffin, O’Reilly, Cliff, RA (TBA), Kilburn, Martin, Huang (ECR), Saunders (ECR) McGowan, Gao, Xiong (PhDs)