National Facility for Critical Mineral Geochronology

The RESOlution SE 193nm Laser System attached to UoA’s Agilent 8900x mass-spectrometer for Critical Mineral Geochronology. Image: Dr Stijn Glorie

The ‘National Facility for Critical Mineral Geochronology’ project aims to revolutionise geochronology capabilities by installing a new laser system at the University of Adelaide to enhance geological material analysis.

Overview

Geochronology is a crucial aspect of resource exploration, which can determine the timing and rate of tectonic processes as well as associated mineralisation events. Understanding Earth history provides a temporal framework; when paired with other geoscience data, allows researchers and industry to make informed decisions on where to focus on exploration efforts.

Led by Stijn Glorie from the University of Adelaide, this project aims to install and integrate new instrument capacity to conduct novel geochronology analyses of geological materials for research projects in critical minerals, provenance analysis, ore deposit geology, and basin analysis. The aim is to construct enhanced temporal frameworks for mineral resources.

“This project adds critical capacity to our efforts to develop new, rapid geochronology methods to assist mineral exploration” - Dr Stijn Glorie

The Challenge

Due to their complex nature, it is difficult to date mineralisation events. Robust geochronology previously required laborious sample preparation in highly specialized laboratories and those methods are generally not able to provide the spatial resolution often required in mineral exploration.

The development of novel in situ beta-decay dating methods (Rb-Sr, Lu-Hf, Re-Os) is destined to revolutionise geochronology. This project aims to capitalise on this opportunity by translating this novel technique for exploration programs through enhanced research infrastructure capacity. This will provide robust dates at unprecedented speed, meeting a key requirement for mineral exploration programs.

Expected Outcomes

  • Acquisition, installation, and integration of a RESOlution SE 193nm Laser System to UoA’s Agilent 8900x mass-spectrometer.

  • Calibration of equipment via testing geochronology analyses across multiple methods and geological materials.

What are the benefits?

  • Enhanced geochronology techniques: The development of novel in situ beta-decay dating methods will enhance Adelaide Microscopy's overall output, enabling academia and industry to understand geological processes and history more acutely.

  • Improved collaboration: Creating a new laser system will enable researchers to work more closely with industry to provide better analyses, helping focus future exploration strategies.

  • Broader research partnerships: New technique developments will help geochronology (and the broader earth science ecosystem) increase their output and refine the quality of their research produced to continue benefiting society globally.

Who will benefit?

  • Researchers, government agencies, and industry professionals involved in geochronology and mineral exploration.

Access

  • Tool Access: Access to the new laser system will be made available via the online booking portal at Adelaide Microscopy (once installed and calibrated).

Acknowledging AuScope

This project was made possible by support from the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS) through AuScope. Acknowledging AuScope and NCRIS helps us demonstrate the value of shared research infrastructure, ensuring continued support and resources for the research community.

If you helped deliver this project or have benefited from its outputs, please credit AuScope so we can include your work in our impact reporting. For examples of acknowledgment, please visit our ‘How to Acknowledge AuScope’ page.

We’d love to see your work—please tag us on social media using:

@auscope | #AuScopeImpact | #NCRISimpact

 
 

Project Name
National Facility for Critical Mineral Geochronology

Project Lead

Timeframe
2024 to 2025

Status
Active

Funding
AuScope Pilot 4

Host
The University of Adelaide (UoA)

NCRIS Collaborators
Microscopy Australia

AuScope Programs

ECEAuScopeCharacterisation, Laser, Strategic, UoA, Pilot 4