From Snowball Earth to Animals: the Influence of Mantle Dynamics

该项目旨在调查固体地球过程是如何促成大约7亿年前的“雪球地球”事件，以及5.4亿年前复杂生命的爆发，这将阐明我们作为一个物种的起源。该方法包括将板块-地幔系统的前沿模型与全球岩石记录相结合。预期的结果是了解地幔对流、磁场行为、全球海平面、大陆尺度地形以及海洋和大气组成之间的关系。预期的重大利益包括建设地球科学能力和开发可用于探索澳大利亚地壳矿物禀赋的新模型。

This project aims to investigate how solid Earth processes contributed to ‘Snowball Earth’ events around 700 million years ago and to the explosion of complex life 540 million years ago, which will shed light on our origin as a species. The approach consists of merging cutting-edge models of the plate-mantle system with the global rock record. The intended outcome is to understand relationships between mantle convection, the behaviour of the magnetic field, global sea levels, continental-scale topography, and the composition of the ocean and atmosphere. Expected significant benefits include building capacity in Earth Sciences and the development of new models that can be used to explore the mineral endowment of the Australian crust.