introducing GEMOC
The National Key Centre for the Geochemical Evolution and Metallogeny
of Continents (GEMOC) formally commenced in January, 1996. Funding
started from July 1995 on very short notice, so GEMOC is operating
on a 6-month delay with fund rollover. GEMOC was based on the
existing expertise and strong funding profile (dominantly ARC)
of groups at Macquarie and ANU (Faculties), with collaborative
links to CSIRO, AGSO and colleagues at other Australian Universities
as detailed under "Participants" in Appendix 1.
This existing base provided the springboard to both broaden and
deepen GEMOC's activities, targeting large-scale problems related
to understanding lithosphere evolution and the relevance of different
types of crust-mantle domains to area selection for mineral exploration.
Major strengths are the diversity of the individual strands
and the range of scales being used in an integrated
way to interpret fundamental Earth processes. The scales range
from global, to regional, to outcrop, to the micron.
The cover symbolises the major role of technology development
within GEMOC and the progress through 1997. Advances in cutting-edge
hardware, software and novel geological applications of microbeam
analysis have been driven by end-user needs and the knowledge
required to solve major geological problems. GEMOC aims to image
the lithosphere from micron to craton scales through time.
The integration of petrological and geophysical data is aimed
to provide data and models to enable exploitation of the full
potential of the geophysical databases on which exploration companies
rely.
GEMOC's original Mission Statement remains timely and relevant
two years on.
Mantle processes meet crustal genesis
The volcano echoes GEMOC's logo and symbolises the links between the four Research Strands: Lithosphere Mapping, Crustal Genesis, Metallogenesis and Geotectonics.
scientific philosophy
GEMOC's distinctiveness lies in its interdisciplinary and integrated approach to interpreting Earth's lithosphere as a 4-dimensional dynamic system (space and time).
This approach links
petrology and geochemistry
geophysics
petrophysics
tectonics
within the important contexts of
time (4th dimension)
thermal state
to understand the significance of large-scale mantle and crustal
domains and the processes that have formed and modified them.
scope of GEMOC's
activities
GEMOC's strategic plan identifies four core activities aligned with DEETYA's "Aims of the Key Centres Programs"
Research
Teaching and Training
Technology Development
Industry Interaction
These are interdependent and of approximately equal importance.
strategic outcomes