The lithosphere is the rigid outer layer of the Earth. The Lithospheric Processes research cluster works to understand the lithosphere over many length scales and time scales.
We ask questions such as:
- How did ancient continents and landscapes evolve over time, and what does this mean for Earth’s future?
- How can we protect ourselves from natural hazards such as earthquakes and volcanoes?
- What is Australia’s potential for geothermal energy and critical metal discoveries?
We explore these themes using techniques from many disciplines, including geochemistry, geochronology, geodynamics, geophysics, petrology, seismology, structural geology, and volcanology.
Contact
For enquiries, please email Eleanor Green - eleanor.green@unimelb.edu.au
Academic staff
A/Prof Mark Quigley
Graduate researchers
Maedeh Darzi
Bethany Eaton
Mohammad Humand
Sean Jones
James La Greca
Alanis Olesch-Byrne
Ambica Sharma
Tristan Stuck
Limin Xu
Honorary
Research
Tectonic processes involve the deformation of the lithosphere – the rigid, conductive outer shell of the Earth. Such processes leave marks on the rock record, in the form of metamorphic changes to a rock’s mineralogy, or partial melting followed by crystallisation to form igneous rocks. Spanning the intersections between geology, geophysics and geochemistry, the Lithospheric Processes Research Group explores a range of geological settings across geological time.
Key research themes include:
- Developing suites of petrological modelling tools, including the THERMOCALC software and the mineral equations of state associated with it.
- Providing constraints on lithospheric thermal structure and understanding its impacts on temperature-dependent lithospheric processes.
- Understanding controls on deformation in a range of tectonic settings, including intraplate orogens and fold and thrust belts.
- Simulating magmatic and volcanic processes to make sense of observations at the surface.