Research Highlights
Supercontinents break up along old scars
Recent geodynamic modelling published in the new Nature journal Communications Earth and Environment shows that while the break-up of a supercontinent is triggered by mantle plumes, the locations for the development of continental rifts is largely guided by the orogens.

Structural and metamorphic evolution of the final Nuna assembly in northeast Australia
Three recent contributions from Ms Silvia Volante show the distinct stages of evolution of the c. 1.6 billion-year orogenic belt in NE Australia and supports the previously published continental collision between the Laurentian and Australian blocks during the final assembly of the Supercontinent Nuna.

Photo credit: Zheng-Xiang Li
News
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New article in Nature Geoscience!
A recently published Nature Geoscience article outlines the critical importance of water in the melting that occurs in subduction zones.
This work, lead by Prof. Bill Collins, also discusses how this fluid-fluxed melting influences the mineralogical and geochemical signatures of the continental crust. -
Dr Sergei Pisarevsky awarded Russian Megagrant
Dr Sergei Pisarevsky was recently awarded a Russian "megagrant" for the project "Orogenesis: Assembly and Growth of Continents and Supercontinents". The grant will lead to the creation of a new facility at the Institute of the Earth's Crust, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
Congratulations Sergei! -
Daniel Brennan awarded best student geologic map
PhD student Daniel Brennan was recently awarded the best student geologic map at the 2019 Geological Society of America's Annual meeting in Phoenix, Arizona.
Well done Dan! -
Prof. Zheng-Xiang Li recognised in 2019 Class of AGU Fellows
Professor Zheng-Xiang Li has been named in the list of 62 new AGU Fellows to be honored at the AGU Fall Meeting 2019 in San Francisco, California.
Congratulations Prof. Li! -
IGCP 648 2019 Field Symposium a success!
The IGCP 648 2019 Field Symposium on the Precambrian evolution of Madagascar was well attended, with 31 geoscientists representing 11 countries. Read an entertaining account of the symposium written by Prof. Damian Nance.
Links
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ACTER
Australia-China Joint Research Centre for Tectonics and Earth Resources
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CCFS
ARC Center of Excellence for Core to Crust Fluid Systems
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TIGeR
The Institute for Geoscience Research
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Applied Geology
The Department of Applied Geology, Curtin University
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WASM
Western Australian School of Mines
Important upcoming events
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IGCP 648 Virtual Seminar Series
The next seminar series will held in Q1/Q2 of 2021 with the start date TBA.
We look forward to another interesting series of seminars throughout 2021.
View more information about the seminar series and watch some of the recorded previous seminars.
Please use the online form to sign up and participate in our future seminar series.
Community Feature Article
Understanding how supercontinents form and drift apart
Prof. Li was recently featured in an article discussing the work that we do in the Earth Dynamics Research Group. The article was produced by Futurum, a magazine and online platform aimed at inspiring young people to follow a career in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
The article also includes a link to an activity sheet for students and teachers. For more information, teaching resources, and course and career guides, see www.futurumcareers.com.