School of Earth and Environmental Sciences
Permanent URI for this community
The School teaches an exciting and diverse array of subjects across these two academic areas. Our range of undergraduate teaching programs include majors in Botany, Ecology, Entomology, Environmental Geoscience, Geology, Geophysics, Marine Biology, Spatial Information, and Zoology for the flagship Bachelor of Science (BSc) program.
Browse
Browsing School of Earth and Environmental Sciences by Title
Now showing 1 - 20 of 9283
Results Per Page
Sort Options
Item Metadata only 1.8--1.5-Ga links between the North and South Australian Cratons and the Early--Middle Proterozoic configuration of Australia(Elsevier Science BV, 2004) Giles, D.; Betts, P.; Lister, G.Item Metadata only 100 articles every ecologist should read(Macmillan Publishers, 2018) Courchamp, F.; Bradshaw, C.Reading scientific articles is a valuable and major part of the activity of scientists. Yet, with the upsurge of currently available articles and the increasing specialization of scientists, it becomes difficult to identify, let alone read, important papers covering topics not directly related to one's own specific field of research, or that are older than a few years. Our objective was to propose a list of seminal papers deemed to be of major importance in ecology, thus providing a general 'must-read' list for any new ecologist, regardless of particular topic or expertise. We generated a list of 544 papers proposed by 147 ecology experts (journal editorial members) and subsequently ranked via random-sample voting by 368 of 665 contacted ecology experts, covering 6 article types, 6 approaches and 17 fields. Most of the recommended papers were not published in the highest-ranking journals, nor did they have the highest number of mean annual citations. The articles proposed through the collective recommendation of several hundred experienced researchers probably do not represent an 'ultimate', invariant list, but they certainly contain many high-quality articles that are undoubtedly worth reading-regardless of the specific field of interest in ecology-to foster the understanding, knowledge and inspiration of early-career scientists.Item Metadata only 1600-1500 Ma hotspot track in eastern Australia: implications for Mesoproterozoic continental reconstructions(Blackwell Science Ltd, 2007) Betts, P.; Giles, D.; Schaefer, B.; Mark, G.Mesoproterozoic A-type magmatic rocks in the Gawler Craton, Curnamona Province and eastern Mount Isa Inlier, form a palaeo-curvilinear belt for reconstructed plate orientations. The oldest igneous rocks in the Gawler Craton are the Hiltaba Granite Suite: c. 1600–1575 Ma. The youngest in the Mount Isa Inlier are the Williams-Naraku Batholiths: c. 1545–1500 Ma. The belt is interpreted as a segment of a hotspot track that evolved between c. 1600 and 1500 Ma. This hotspot track may define a quasilinear part of Australia’s motion between 1636 and 1500 Ma, and suggests that Australia drifted to high latitudes. An implication of this interpretation is that Australia and Laurentia may not have been fellow travellers leading to the formation of Rodinia. A hotspot model for A-type magmatism in Australia differs from geodynamic models for this style of magmatism on other continents. This suggests that multiple geologic processes may be responsible for the genesis of Proterozoic A-type magmas.Item Metadata only 2-Phenylethylisothiocyanate concentration and bacterial community composition in the rhizosphere of field-grown canola(C S I R O Publishing, 2004) Rumberger, A.; Marschner, P.Field experiments with two spring and two winter canola cultivars were conducted in two successive years to study the release of 2-phenylethylisothiocyanate (PEITC) by living canola roots during plant development. The PEITC concentration in the rhizosphere of living roots ranged between 0 and 12 119 pmol g–1. Higher PEITC concentrations were detected in the first year in both spring and winter canola compared to the second year suggesting a strong impact of growth conditions on PEITC release. The PEITC concentration in the rhizosphere changed with plant development. In spring canola the PEITC concentration was highest at flowering. In winter canola the highest PEITC concentrations were found in autumn and in spring at booting. There were no differences in PEITC concentration in the rhizosphere between cultivars with high and low seed (winter canola) or root (spring canola) glucosinolate concentration. The rhizosphere bacterial community composition determined by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) changed significantly with time. Some of the changes in bacterial rhizosphere community composition were correlated with the PEITC concentration in the rhizosphere. Other environmental factors such as plant dry matter and soil moisture also were significantly correlated with the bacterial community composition in the rhizosphere. It is concluded that PEITC can be released in sufficient amounts into the rhizosphere of living canola roots to be a selective factor for the bacterial community.Item Metadata only 2-Phenylethylisothiocyanate concentration and microbial community composition in the rhizosphere of canola(Pergamon-Elsevier Science Ltd, 2003) Rumberger, A.; Marschner, P.Canola crops have been shown to inhibit soil-borne pathogens in following crops. This effect is mainly attributed to the release of low molecular S-containing compounds, such as isothiocyanates, during microbial degradation of the crop residues. We have assessed the effect of low concentrations of phenylethylisothiocyanate (PEITC) on soil microbial communities as well as its rate of degradation in soil and determined the concentration of PEITC and the microbial community structure in the rhizosphere of canola. PEITC was degraded within 96 h by soil microorganisms. PEITC added to the soil daily for 5 d affected both bacterial and eukaryotic community structure, determined by PCR-DGGE. Community structures of bacteria and eukaryotes changed at PEITC concentrations between 1300 and 3790 pmol g−1 soil fresh weight but was unaffected at lower concentrations. The PEITC concentration in the rhizosphere of living canola roots was greater in first order laterals than in second order laterals. The maximal PEITC concentration detected in the rhizosphere was 1827 pmol g−1. Redundancy analysis of the DGGE banding patterns indicated a significant correlation between the PEITC concentration in the rhizosphere and the community structure of the active fraction of eukaryotes and bacteria in the rhizosphere. Other important factors influencing the microbial community structure were soil moisture and plant dry matter. It is concluded that canola may affect the soil microbial community structure not only after incorporation of canola residues but also during active growth of the plants.Item Metadata only 2.5-D modelling of seismic wave propagation: Boundary condition, stability criterion and efficiency(1998) Cao, S.; Greenhalgh, Stewart A.; School of Earth and Environmental Sciences : Geology and GeophysicsItem Metadata only 2005 winter monitoring of the southern Coorong(Department of Water, Land and Biodiversity Conservation, 2005) Paton, David Cleland; School of Earth and Environmental SciencesItem Metadata only 3 Challenges 4 Principles 5 Actions for a sustainable future(Government of South Australia, 2004) Flannery, Tim Fridtjof; Atkins, Dan; Bilsborough, Darren; Farley, Rick; Huang, Alfred; Liddle, Kerrynne; Morozow, Oleg; Oliphant, Monica; Sneddon, Yvonne; Stock, Andrew; Vincent, Niki; Wells, Katherine; Williams, Amy; Woodward, Matthew; Young, Michael Denis; School of Earth and Environmental Sciences : Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyThis report lists three major challenges to South Australia’s sustainability; offers four principles to underpin the implementation of the State Strategic Plan; and covers five areas of immediate action to deliver on the Plan.Item Metadata only 3-D frequency-domain seismic wave modelling in heterogeneous, anisotropic media using a Gaussian quadrature grid approach(Blackwell Publishing Ltd, 2011) Zhou, B.; Greenhalgh, S.We present an extension of the 3-D spectral element method (SEM), called the Gaussian quadrature grid (GQG) approach, to simulate in the frequency-domain seismic waves in 3-D heterogeneous anisotropic media involving a complex free-surface topography and/or sub-surface geometry. It differs from the conventional SEM in two ways. The first is the replacement of the hexahedral element mesh with 3-D Gaussian quadrature abscissae to directly sample the physical properties or model parameters. This gives a point-gridded model which more exactly and easily matches the free-surface topography and/or any sub-surface interfaces. It does not require that the topography be highly smooth, a condition required in the curved finite difference method and the spectral method. The second is the derivation of a complex-valued elastic tensor expression for the perfectly matched layer (PML) model parameters for a general anisotropic medium, whose imaginary parts are determined by the PML formulation rather than having to choose a specific class of viscoelastic material. Furthermore, the new formulation is much simpler than the time-domain-oriented PML implementation. The specified imaginary parts of the density and elastic moduli are valid for arbitrary anisotropic media. We give two numerical solutions in full-space homogeneous, isotropic and anisotropic media, respectively, and compare them with the analytical solutions, as well as show the excellent effectiveness of the PML model parameters. In addition, we perform numerical simulations for 3-D seismic waves in a heterogeneous, anisotropic model incorporating a free-surface ridge topography and validate the results against the 2.5-D modelling solution, and demonstrate the capability of the approach to handle realistic situations.Item Metadata only 3-D, 40Ar-39Ar geochronology in the Paranà continental flood basalt province(1996) Stewart, Kathy; Turner, Simon; Kelley, Simon P.; Hawkesworth, Chris; Kirstein, Linda; Mantovani, MartaItem Metadata only 3D geological modeling of the Trujillo block: insights for crustal escape models of the Venezuelan Andes(Elsevier, 2012) Dhont, D.; Monod, B.; Hervouët, Y.; Backé, G.; Klarica, S.; Choy, J.The Venezuelan Andes form a N50°E-trending mountain belt extending from the Colombian border in the SW to the Caribbean Sea in the NE. The belt began to rise since the Middle Miocene in response to the E-W collision between the Maracaibo block to the NW and the Guyana shield belonging to South America to the SE. This oblique collision led to strain partitioning with (1) shortening along opposite-vergent thrust fronts, (2) right-lateral slip along the Boconó fault crossing the belt more or less along-strike and (3) crustal escape of the Trujillo block moving towards the NE in between the Boconó fault and the N-S-striking left-lateral Valera fault. The geology of the Venezuelan Andes is well described at the surface, but its structure at depth remains hypothetic. We investigated the deep geometry of the Mérida Andes by a 3D model newly developed from geological and geophysical data. The 3D fault model is restricted to the crust and is mainly based on the surface data of outcropping fault traces. The final model reveals the orogenic float concept where the mountain belt is decoupled from its underlying lithosphere over a horizontal décollement located either at the upper/lower crust boundary. The reconstruction of the Boconó and Valera faults results in a 3D shape of the Trujillo block, which floats over a mid-crustal décollement horizon emerging at the Boconó-Valera triple junction. Motion of the Trujillo block is accompanied by a widespread extension towards the NE accommodated by normal faults with listric geometries such as for the Motatan, Momboy and Tuñame faults. Extension is explained by the gravitational spreading of the upper crust during the escape process. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd.Item Metadata only 3D meteoroid trajectories(Elsevier, 2019) Sansom, E.; Jansen-Sturgeon, T.; Rutten, M.G.; Devillepoix, H.; Bland, P.; Howie, R.; Cox, M.; Towner, M.; Cupák, M.; Hartig, B.Meteoroid modelling of fireball data typically uses a one dimensional model along a straight line triangulated trajectory. The assumption of a straight line trajectory has been considered an acceptable simplification for fireballs, but it has not been rigorously tested. The unique capability of the Desert Fireball Network (DFN) to triangulate discrete observation times gives the opportunity to investigate the deviation of a meteoroid’s position to different model fits. Here we assess the viability of a straight line assumption for fireball data in two meteorite-dropping test cases observed by the Desert Fireball Network (DFN) in Australia – one over 21 s (DN151212_03), one under 5 seconds (DN160410_03). We show that a straight line is not valid for these two meteorite dropping events and propose a three dimensional particle filter to model meteoroid positions without any straight line constraints. The single body equations in three dimensions, along with the luminosity equation, are applied to the particle filter methodology described by Sansom et al. (2017). Modelling fireball camera network data in three dimensions has not previously been attempted. This allows the raw astrometric, line-of-sight observations to be incorporated directly. In analysing these two DFN events, the triangulated positions based on a straight line assumption result in the modelled meteoroid positions diverging up to 3.09 km from the calculated observed point (for DN151212_03). Even for the more typical fireball event, DN160410_03, we see a divergence of up to 360 m. As DFN observations are typically precise to < 100 m, it is apparent that the assumption of a straight line is an oversimplification that will affect orbit calculations and meteorite search regions for a significant fraction of events. Previous article in issueItem Metadata only 3D seismic analysis investigating the relationship between stratigraphic architecture and structural activity in the intra-cratonic Cooper and Eromanga basins, Australia(Elsevier, 2018) Kulikowski, D.; Amrouch, K.This research uses four three-dimensional (3D) seismic surveys located in Australia's largest onshore hydrocarbon province, the intra-cratonic Cooper and Eromanga basins, to present an approach that extracts important structural and stratigraphic information from geophysical data that can then be used to define the tectonostratigraphic evolution of subsurface provinces. The methodology consists of: (1) analysing isopach maps; (2) cross-section interpretation of stratigraphic features, erosional surfaces, and faults; and (3) constraining the evolution of fault activity. Most faults within this province are basement-involved with high dip angles. The primary fault set is NE-SW striking, with secondary sets striking N-S, E-W and NW-SE. These high angle faults most likely developed as normal faults before being reactivated by five of the six major tectonic events. Field scale NW-SE strike-slip faults are prolific and can often be overlooked due to the low seismic resolution. A close relationship between on-lapping features and present-day structural highs was found during each of the major structural events, particularly within hydrocarbon-rich Permian stratigraphy, inferring that present-day structures were present throughout basin development and intermittently reactivated. Significant stratal-package thinning, and a high presence of on-lapping features, were associated with regional basement-involved faults, particularly along the Gidgealpa-Merrimelia-Innamincka and Murteree-Nappacoongee ridges. Initial structural trap development occurred during the early Permian, but was most significant during the Late Triassic. Hydrocarbon accumulations were unaffected by structural growth after the critical moment in the petroleum system (90 Ma), as the final period of fault activity was during the Late Cretaceous. This research constrains the tectonostratigraphic evolution of the intra-cratonic Cooper and Eromanga basins, while detailing an approach that extracts and analyses important structural and stratigraphic information from geophysical data, where outcrop is not accessible.Item Open Access 3D-visualization and analysis of macro- and meso-porosity of the upper horizons of a sodic, texture-contrast soil(Blackwell Publishing Ltd, 2007) Jassogne, L.; McNeill, A.; Chittleborough, D.The lower E and upper B horizons of sodic, texture-contrast soils are a formidable barrier to most annual and many perennial crops. The research presented here is part of a wider study into the nature of subsoil constraints to root exploration. The aim of this study was to characterize in three dimensions the macro- and meso-porosity across the E horizon–Btn horizon interface of a sodic, texture-contrast soil using X-ray computed tomography (CT). Intact soil cores of 50-cm length and 15-cm diameter were scanned with a medical CT X-ray machine. The pore volume reconstructed from these scans had a resolution of 0.3 × 0.3 × 0.4 cm (in the x, y, z dimensions, respectively). This resolution allowed visualization and quantification of the macroporosity of the intact cores. Undisturbed samples of 1.5-cm diameter and 4-cm length were carefully excised from the interface and scanned with micro-CT X-ray equipment. The reconstructed pore volumes had an isotropic resolution of 19 μm that allowed analysis of the mesoporosity just on the boundary between the E and Btn horizons. Mesoporosity decreased across the interface and increased lower in the Btn horizon. The distribution of the pores at the macro- and meso-scales showed the importance of the smaller pores in the A and E horizons, whereas most of the porosity in the Btn horizon was attributed to the larger pores. Pores in this sodic, texture-contrast soil were not distributed homogeneously at either the macro- or meso-scale. A greater proportion of the pores in the E–B interface were horizontal than in the upper A1, upper E and lower Btn horizons. Some ‘coiling’ of the pores was also apparent in the interface. The shape of some pores (long tubular pores) suggested formation by roots as they drilled through the soil. The orientation of these pores was a function of physical (and possibly chemical) impedance at the interface.Item Metadata only 40Ar-39Ar white mica ages reveal Neoproterozoic/Paleozoic provenance and an Alleghanian overprint in coeval Upper Ordovician-Lower Devonian rocks of Meguma and Avalonia(Elsevier Science BV, 2008) Murphy, J.; Collins, A.40Ar–39Ar analyses (IR single grain, total fusion) of white micas from Upper Ordovician–Lower Devonian sedimentary strata in the Meguma (Annapolis section) and Avalon (Arisaig section) terranes of the Canadian Appalachians complement recent detrital zircon studies by providing constraints on local source areas and identifying the age of low temperature (< 350 °C) events along this portion of the northern margin of the Rheic Ocean. In the Annapolis section, pre-depositional muscovite ages range in age from Cambrian to Early Ordovician but occur only in the arenaceous ca. 440 Ma White Rock Formation, reflecting the relatively inert behavior of the quartz sandstone compared to overlying argillaceous rocks. Pre-depositional ages of muscovites from coeval strata in the Arisaig Group range from Cambrian to Middle Ordovician. In younger Arisaig strata, detrital muscovite ages typically range from Late Neoproterozoic–Early Ordovician, but some are similar to the depositional ages of the formations. The detrital muscovites in both Annapolis and Arisaig sections are interpreted to have been derived from neighboring terranes (e.g. Ganderia) during the accretion of Avalonia to Baltica and Laurentia. A remarkable outcome of the study is that many muscovite ages are significantly younger than the depositional age of the strata. They do not record the (Middle–Late Devonian) age of Acadian folding or adjacent intrusions, but instead preserve a precise age of (322.6 ± 2.1 Ma, 16 analyses). Although the sections sampled display no discernable evidence for Carboniferous tectonism, these ages are coeval with documented Alleghanian deformation in both Avalonian and Meguma terrane rocks and we interpret them to reflect distributed fluid flow coeval with dextral shear along the Avalon–Meguma terrane boundary.Item Metadata only 4D modelling of fault reactivation using complete paleostress tensors from the Cooper-Eromanga Basin, Australia(Taylor & Francis, 2018) Kulikowski, D.; Amrouch, K.Determining fault activity through time has typically utilised high-resolution seismic data to identify stratigraphic thickness changes or displacement vs distance plots; however, this approach is not possible in regions with low-resolution seismic data. We present a new approach for determining fault reactivation (tensile and shear) through time by integrating three-dimensional seismic data, geomechanical modelling and complete paleostress tensors from calcite twin stress inversion. The Cooper–Eromanga Basin is used as a case study to model the stress conditions present during six tectonic events that have affected the basin and, in doing so, constrain the effective paleostress magnitudes through time. Results show that the likelihood of dilation and shear reactivation of individual fault sets varies through time, with N–S- and E–W-striking faults likely to have been open to fluid flow after the critical moment in the hydrocarbon system. These results have substantial implications for hydrocarbon migration pathway models and structural and stratigraphic models for the Cooper–Eromanga Basin. This approach would benefit other provinces with low-resolution seismic data preventing fault growth analysis, or in regions where hydrocarbon migration pathways are poorly defined.Item Metadata only 50 years and worlds apart: rethinking the Holocene occupation of Cloggs Cave (East Gippsland, SE Australia) five decades after its initial archaeological excavation and in light of GunaiKurnai world views(Taylor & Francis (Routledge), 2021) David, B.; Fresløv, J.; Mullett, R.; Delannoy, J.J.; McDowell, M.; Urwin, C.; Mialanes, J.; Petchey, F.; Wood, R.; Russell, L.; Arnold, L.J.; Stephenson, B.; Fullagar, R.; Crouch, J.; Ash, J.; Berthet, J.; Wong, V.N.L.; Green, H.In this paper we report on new research at the iconic archaeological site of Cloggs Cave (GunaiKurnai Country), in the southern foothills of SE Australia’s Great Dividing Range. Detailed chronometric dating, combined with high-resolution 3D mapping, geomorphological studies and archaeological excavations, now allow a dense sequence of Late Holocene ash layers and their contents to be correlated with GunaiKurnai ethnography and current knowledge. These results suggest a critical re-interpretation of what the Old People were, and were not, doing in Cloggs Cave during the Late Holocene. Instead of a lack of Late Holocene cave occupation, as previously thought through the conceptual lens of ‘habitat and economy’, Cloggs Cave is now understood to have been actively used for special, magical purposes. Configured by local GunaiKurnai cosmology, cave landscapes (including Cloggs Cave's) were populated not only by food species animals, but also by ‘supernatural’ Beings and forces whose presence helped inform occupational patterns. The profound differences between the old and new archaeological interpretations of Cloggs Cave, separated by five decades of developing archaeological thought and technical advances, draw attention to archaeological meaning-making and highlight the significance of data capture and the pre-conceptions that shape the production of archaeological stories and identities of place.Item Metadata only 50 years of different landscape management influencing retention of metals in soils(Elsevier, 2012) Chrastný, V.; Komárek, M.; Procházka, J.; Pechar, L.; Vaněk, A.; Penížek, V.; Farkaš, J.Abstract not availableItem Metadata only 50/500 rule and minimum viable populations: response to Jamieson and Allendorf(Elsevier Science London, 2013) Frankham, R.; Brook, B.; Bradshaw, C.; Traill, L.; Spielman, D.Item Metadata only A 'Collins' monster'-type lobopodian from the Emu Bay Shale Konservat-Lagerstätte (Cambrian), South Australia(Geological Society Australia Inc, 2013) Garcia-Bellido, D.; Edgecombe, G.; Paterson, J.; Ma, X.A distinctive group of lobopodians known from Cambrian Stage 5 in western Laurentia includes Acinocricus Conway Morris & Robison, 1988, from the Spence Shale in Utah, and an unnamed species from the Burgess Shale, British Columbia, popularly known as ‘Collins’ monster’. The temporal gap from their closest relative, the Chengjiang lobopodian Luolishania, is bridged by a single, incomplete specimen of a Collins’ monster-type lobopodian from the Emu Bay Shale (Cambrian Series 2, Stage 4), Kangaroo Island, South Australia, the first lobopodian discovered in this Konservat-Lagerstätte. Pending formal description of the Burgess Shale species, the Australian specimen is left unassigned to a genus.