Earth & Environmental Sciences
Romain Vaucher
- Senior Lecturer, Sedimentology
- romain.vaucher@jcu.edu.au
Rafael Cabral Carvalho
- Lecturer, Marine Geoscience
- rafael.cabralcarvalho@jcu.edu.au
Youseph Ibrahim
- Lecturer, Geoscience
- youseph.ibrahim@jcu.edu.au
Natalie Robson
- Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Land and Sea Management
- natalie.robson@jcu.edu.au
Alexandre Wadoux
- Lecturer, Soil Science
- alexandre.wadoux@jcu.edu.au
Alica Hoess
- Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Neutron Tomography Scanner
- alica.hoess@jcu.edu.au
Phoebe Stewart-Sinclair
- Lecturer, Environmental Science
- phoebe.stewartsinclair@jcu.edu.au
Bethany Smith
- Postdoctoral Research Fellow
- bethany.smith1@jcu.edu.au
Brandon Mahan
- Adjunct Senior Lecturer
- brandon.mahan@jcu.edu.au
Hannah Green
- Research Officer
- hannah.green@jcu.edu.au
Activity 2.6 (Banana soil physico-chemical properties) of 'Fusarium wilt Tropical Race 4 Research program (BA14014)' (Old ID 22760)
Paul Nelson
30 May 2016 - 01 Jun 2020
The project will determine the influence of soil physiocochemical conditions on growth and infectivity of the banana disease-causing fungus Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. Cubense (Foc. Foc is one of the world's most destructive banana diseases and Tropical Race 4, which attacks the Cavendish variety, was recently detected in the Tully valley in the heart of the North Queensland banana production region. This project is part of a larger program aimed at providing new information and practices to address key areas of need with a medium to long-term view of developing management practices for banana growers affected by Tropical Race 4.
Waters of Jericho: Characterizing the Cu isotope compostition of water overlying IOCG-style deposaits in the Mt Isa block (Jericho and Eloise deposits). (Old ID 27017)
Brandon Mahan
01 Oct 2020 - 29 Jun 2021
This project is a pilot study that aims to characterize the Cu isotope compositions of borehole waters in 10 km radius around the Jericho and Eloise IOCG type ore deposits. Cu isotopes can act as an ore vectoiring. However, few studies have focused exclusively on natural water samples as a ameans to vector under cover. Novel, efficient techniques are needed as the demand for Cu increases with population and our transition to green energies. A second aim of the project is to stream line the purification of Cu (needed for analysis) to make this more time and cost efficient, and thus more accessible to industry partners.
Sequestering carbon and improving sugarcane productivity by enhanced weathering of basalt (Old ID 23432)
Paul Nelson
01 Jun 2017 - 31 May 2026
Arresting the build-up of atmospheric CO2 is one of humanity's biggest challenges. In geological time, the weathering of rocks consumes CO2, which is then sequestered as limestone in the ocean, but the natural rate of this process is very slow. In this project we will determine the feasibility of accelerating weathering by introducing crushed basalt (a common and easily weathered rock) into the place on earth with highest CO2 production and potential weathering rates - topsoil in the humid tropics. We will also examine the effects on soil condition and crop growth, which are likely to be beneficial.
Assessment of Community Livelihood needs to support Australia’s Marine Resources Initiative in the Asia-Pacific Region (Old ID 27267)
Amy Diedrich
09 Jun 2021 - 30 Sep 2022
The global community has committed to increasing the economic benefit that Small Island Developing States and less developed countries derive from marine resources by 2030 (UN 2015). This commitment was reflected in the Prime Minister’s statement at the November 2020 ASEAN-Australia Summit where he announced the Marine Resources Initiative (MRI), and pledged to support maritime states in Southeast Asian countries to “develop their marine resources sustainably and address challenges through enhanced training, technical advice and cooperation” (https://www.pm.gov.au/media/investing-our-southeast-asian-partnerships). This project will conduct an assessment of coastal community livelihood needs to inform DFAT’s policy on maritime resource development and support the MRI in selected southeast Asian countries. The project will focus onWestern Philippines and Northern Indonesia and will culminate in recommendations on interventions to support coastal communities to develop their maritime resources sustainably. More broadly, this will contribute to supporting regional maritime states to achieve more equitable and sustainable maritime resource development.
Cu isotope characterization of waters in the Mt Windsor Sub-Province, NE QLD (Old ID 27379)
Brandon Mahan
14 Sep 2021 - 15 May 2022
Minotaur Operations has received funding through the Geological Survey of Queensland (GSQ) for copper isotope characterisation of groundwater sampled from active bores in the immediate vicinity of its Windsor Project in NE Queensland. The Mount Windsor Subprovince terrane covers significant Volcanogenic Massive Sulphide (VMS) deposits and prospects, and VMS deposits in the district all contain New Economy Minerals including Cd, Cu, Au, In, Ag, and Zn. Building on existing JCU research findings, this collaborative project will characterize up to 50 water bores for major/trace elements and Cu isotopes, towards determining elemental/isotopic anomalies which may indicate mineralization and therefore aide Minotaur’s exploration program.
Characterising IOCG and SEDEX deposits in the Mt Isa block with Cu-Zn isotopes (Old ID 26545)
Paul Dirks
15 Jun 2019 - 15 Dec 2020
The Economic Geology Research Centre (EGRU) at JCU has proposed to establish Cu and Zn isotope lines at JCU, and build a reference database for Cu-Zn isotopes from mineral deposits in the Mt Isa district, starting witht eh well-known Mt Isa deposit. It is proposed to conduct an exploratory, proof-of-concept study of limited initial scope and time, to assess the usefulness of Zn-Cu isotopes for exploration in the Mt Isa area. If initial results are promising, we intend to extend the study.
An eDNA molecular diagnostic tool for soil microbial biosecurity (Old ID 27431)
Ryan Orr
25 Nov 2021 - 30 Jan 2023
We intend to sample sterilising footbath units on banana farms for the presence of a pathogenic soil-borne fungus that causes Panama disease in bananas. If successful this method would replace visual inspection of farms for biosecurity monitoring of the disease allowing for identification of farm infection long before traditional methods. We aim to adapt existing environmental DNA and quantitative PCR methods for this application.
ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage (Old ID 22972)
Michael Bird
30 Jun 2017 - 30 Apr 2025
This Centre will create a world-class interdisciplinary research programme to understand Australia's unique biodiversity and heritage. The Centre will track the changes to Australia's environment to examine the processes responsible for the changes and the lessons that can be used to continue to adapt to Australia's changing environment. The Centre will support connections between the sciences and humanities and train future generations of researchers to deal with future global challenges and inform policy in an interdisciplinary context.
Architecture of the hanging wall shear zone and faults affecting the ore zone at Dugald River Mine (Old ID 26246)
Paul Dirks
15 Feb 2019 - 14 Aug 2022
This is a PhD project to develop a better understanding of the larger scale geometry of the shear zone and fault system that occur within the immediate hanging wall of the zinc-sulphide ore body in Dugald River Mine, near Cloncurry, NW Queensland. We aim to understand how shear controls the distribution of the ore zone both from a genetic and mechanical (displacement and remobilization) perspective, to optimize ore recovery in a predictive manner.
Combined U-Pb zircon geochronology & Lu-Hf analysis of Jurassic-Cretaceous volcanics and sandstones from the Lord Howe Rise and Queensland Plateau, Australia (Old ID 22185)
Eric Roberts
01 Aug 2015 - 31 Dec 2016
We prosed to combine zircon geochronology on putative Cretaceous volcanics reported in the DSDP Leg 21-207 and combine this with more ambitious dual Lu-Hf isotope and U-Pb isotope analysis on detrital zircons collected from a suite of Cretaceous and Paleogene sedimentary rock samples in cores from DSDP Leg 21-206, 207, 208 and 209. This approach is designed to identify the distribution of ages and geochemical signatures associated with earlies Cretaceous-Jurassic age detrital zircons (and volcanics) in order to better understand the timing of Cretaceous-Jurassic volcanism, the possible provenance of Cretaceous-Jurassic volcanic sources and to glean a better understanding of the nature of the magmatism during the Jurassic and Early Cretaceous along eastern Australia.
A magmatic copper and fluid source for the sediment-hosted Mount Isa deposit
- 2023
- European Association of Geochemistry
- Researchers:Ioan SanislavPaul DirksBrandon Mahan
Assessing the effects of a drought experiment on the reproductive phenology and ecophysiology of a wet tropical rainforest community
- 2023
- Oxford University Press
- Researchers:Susan LauranceMichael LiddellChris WursterLucas Cernusak
Characterizing Australia's east coast cyclones (1950–2019)
- 2023
- Wiley-Blackwell
- Researchers:Jasmine Jaffres
Title:
PhD, James Cook University
End Date:
01 Jan 2010
End Date:
01 Jan 2003
Start Date:
01 Jan 2020
End Date:
01 Jan 2025
Start Date:
01 Jan 2023
End Date:
01 Jan 2025
Title:
JCU Distinguished Professor
Start Date:
01 Jan 2010
Start Date:
01 Jan 2012
End Date:
01 Jan 2012
Start Date:
01 Jan 2019
Title:
Malayalam
Title:
English
Title:
Tamil