The first iteration of a continental-scale Isotopic Atlas of Australia was introduced by Geoscience Australia at the 2019 SGGMP conference in Devonport, Tasmania, through a talk and poster display. In the three years since, progress on this Isotopic Atlas has continued and expanded datasets are now publicly available and downloadable via Geoscience Australia’s Exploring for the Future (EFTF) Geochronology and Isotopes Data Portal.
This poster provides example maps produced from the compiled data of multiple geochronology and isotopic tracer datasets, now available in the EFTF Portal. Available data include Sm–Nd model ages of magmatic rocks; Lu–Hf isotopes from zircon and associated O-isotope data; Pb–Pb isotopes from ore-related minerals such as galena and pyrite; Rb–Sr isotopes from soils; U–Pb ages of magmatic, metamorphic and sedimentary rocks; and K–Ar, Ar–Ar, Re–Os, Rb–Sr and fission-track ages from minerals and whole rocks. Compiled geochronology, which commenced with coverage of northern Australia, is now much more comprehensive across Victoria and Tasmania, with New South Wales and South Australia updates well underway.
This Isotopic Atlas of Australia provides a convenient visual overview of age and isotopic patterns reflecting geological processes that have led to the current configuration of the Australian continent, including progressive development of continental crust from the mantle. These datasets and maps unlock the collective value of several decades of geochronological and isotopic studies conducted across Australia, and provide an important complement to other geological maps and geophysical images—in particular, by adding a time dimension to 2D and 3D maps and models.
To view the associated poster see eCat 147377.
This Abstract & Poster were presented to the 2022 Specialist Group in Geochemistry, Mineralogy and Petrology (SGGMP) Conference 7-11 November (https://gsasggmp.wixsite.com/home/biennial-conference-2021)
