The National Argon Map
The National Argon Map (NAM) project is an AuScope 2020 Pilot Project led by Dr Marnie Forster at the Australian National University

 

(Click the map to visit the National Argon Map powered by google)

The project

The National Argon Map (NAM) project is an AuScope 2020 Pilot Project led by A.Prof Marnie Forster at the Australian National University and overseen by an independent advisory panel that is led by Dr Geoff Fraser of Geoscience Australia. It is being developed in collaboration with the National Argon Network, involving the Argon laboratories at the Australian National University, Curtin University, the University of Queensland and Melbourne University. The data registry is visualised in the map above. AuScope supports the cost of Ar/Ar analysis in this Pilot Project. Our Purpose: This AuScope pilot project is supporting the addition of vital new Ar/Ar geochronology data to the existing legacy data based Geoscience Australia NAM (seen above). The aim is to build on the NAM, to ‘fill the gaps’ in this isotopic map, to undertake Ar/Ar geochronology in areas that have as yet no data, or areas where important information is missing, or new techniques bring new information. Why Ar/Ar?: Ar/Ar can produce age data from diverse geological scenarios. A wide range of different minerals can be used, e.g., white mica, biotite, different feldspars, horneblende, phlogopite, basalts, alunite, sericite, and less commonly minerals like glaucoophane, pyroxene, tourmaline, stilpnomelane, volcanic glass etc. Ar/Ar can date the very young to the very old, from thousands to billions of years ago, in events that range from new growth, recrystallisation, metamorphism, deformation, and alteration (caused by heat, fluids, mineralisation) linking into mineral resource exploration. In particular the NAM will allow the linking of existing high-temperature geochronology (U–Pb or Hf) maps to low-temperature (FT, U-Th/He) geochronology maps, providing an important infrastructure base required to allow unraveling of time in the Australian geological architecture.

To submit samples for analysis in the NAM please download this  Data Acquisition Project Proposal Form.pdf and submit to Geoff.Fraser@ga.gov.au. All proposals are reviewed by the NAM Oversight Panel. Accepted proposals will have their Ar/Ar samples analysed with the financial support from AuScope. The NAM Project Proposal in linked here. Please email or ring Marnie to discuss details or if you have questions - Marnie.Forster@anu.edu.au.

Project Team

Project Leader and Coordinator

A/Professor Marnie Forster

Argon Facility Manager
marnie.forster@anu.edu.au

Chair of the Oversight Panel

Dr. Geoff Fraser

Director, Geochronology & Stratigraphy
geoff.graser@ga.gov.au

Senior Technical Consultant

Mr Davood Vasegh

Argon Facility Senior Technical Consultant
d.vasegh@outlook.com

Projects

Region Project Title Sample Details Report
East Tennant, NT Project 01:
Filling the gaps: thermotectonic evolution of the east Tennant region and eastern Pine Creek Orogen

Submitted by: Geoff Fraser, GA
Analysed by: ANU Argon Facility

 Completed
Olympic Cu-Au Province, SA Project 02:
Dating of mineralisation-related alteration in the Olympic Cu-Au Province, Gawler Craton

Submitted by: Anthony Reid, GSSA
Analysed by: ANU Argon Facility

 Completed Report
Gawler Craton, SA Project 03:
Dating of mineralisation-related alteration at the Cairn Hill Mine, and regional thermal history of the northern Mt Woods Region, Gawler Craton

Submitted by: Anthony Reid, GSSA
Analysed by: ANU Argon Facility

 Completed Report
Curnamona Province, SA Project 04:
Reconnaissance thermochronology of Curnamona Province

Submitted by: Anthony Reid, GSSA
Analysed by: ANU Argon Facility

 Completed
Faults in Lachlan Orogen, NSW Project 05:
New 40Ar/39Ar age constraints on the timing of deformation on major faults in the Lachlan Orogen, NSW.

Submitted by: Mark Eastlake, GSNSW
Analysed by: ANU Argon Facility

 Completed
Balls Pyramid, Lord Howe Seamount, Off-shore NSW Project 06:
New Ar-Ar geochronology age constraints on the Lord Howe Seamount Chain

Submitted by: Phil Gilmore, GSNSW
Analysed by: ANU Argon Facility

 Completed
Reynolds Range, central Australia, NT Project 07:
Quadruple dating of a shear zone, comparing techniques and analytical efficiencies

Submitted by: Alex Prent, John de Laeter Centre
To be Analysed by: Curtin University, John de Laeter Centre

  
Fraser Range, east Albany-Fraser Orogen, WA Project 08:
Evolution of crustal structures in an inverted orogen, the east Albany–Fraser Orogen, Western Australia

Submitted by: Raphael Quentin de Gromard, GSWA
Analysed by: ANU Argon Facility

 Completed
west Arunta Orogen, Madura and Coompana Provinces, eastern WA Project 09:
Testing connections between the Lasseter and Mundrabilla Shear Zones

Submitted by: Catherine Spaggiari, GSWA
Analysed by: ANU Argon Facility

 Completed
Delamerian Fold Belt, SA Project 10:
Cambro-Ordovician magmatism and deformation at the eastern margin of Gondwana, South Australia: Insights into tectonic processes and mineral potential.

Submitted by: Naina, ANU & MinEx CRC
Analysed by: ANU Argon Facility

 Completed
East Antarctica, Australian Antarctic Territory Project 11:
An Antarctica perspective of the Kerguelen plume

Submitted by: Luc Doucet, Curtin Uni
To be Analysed by: Curtin University, John de Laeter Centre

  
Central Queensland Project 12:
Geology, Petrology and Gem Minerals of the Anakie Gemfields, central Queensland

Submitted by: Ian Graham, UNSW
To be Analysed by: Curtin University, John de Laeter Centre

 Proposal
Western Cobar Basin Project 13:
Direct dating of Cobar Basin mineralisation

Submitted by: Joel Fitzherbert, GSNSW
Analysed by: ANU Argon Facility

 Completed
Western Australia (Various state-wide Li ore locations) Project 14:
Spodumene 40Ar/39Ar geochronology: Implications for Li-Deposits

Submitted by: Bryant Ware, John de Leater Centre, Curtin Uni
To be Analysed by: Curtin University, John de Laeter Centre

  
Arunta Region Project 15:
Tectonic and Thermal Events in the Northeastern Aileron Province

Submitted by: Barry Reno, NTGS
Analysed by: University of Melbourne

 Completed
Far North Queensland Project 16:
40Ar/39Ar thermochronology of the Coen Inlier

Submitted by: AngloGold Ashanti with Jack Muston, RSES, ANU
Analysed by: ANU Argon Facility

 Completed
Northern WA (far eastern Pilbara), south-western Canning Basin Project 17:
Tectonism and Exhumation of the Paterson Orogen and East Pilbara Craton margin

Submitted by: David Kelsey, GSWA
Analysed by: ANU Argon Facility

 Completed
Gold Systems, Far North Queensland Project 18:
40Ar/39Ar thermochronology for Intrusion Related Gold Systems in NE Queensland

Submitted by: Brendan Hardwick, AngloGold Ashanti

 Not Submitted
Central-West NSW Project 19:
Ar-Ar geochronology of the Rylstone Volcanics

Submitted by: Ian Graham, UNSW Sydney
Analysed by: University of Melbourne

 Completed
North-Eastern NSW Project 20:
Age of mineralisation within the Drake Goldfield

Submitted by: Ian Graham, UNSW Sydney
To be Analysed by: Curtin University, John de Laeter Centre

 Proposal
Central NSW Project 21:
Hera intrusive events

Submitted by: Ian Graham, UNSW Sydney
Analysed by: University of Melbourne

 Completed
Mundi Mundi Plain, Curnamona Province (GA Funded) Project 22:
Ar-Ar thermochronology age constraints on mafic and felsic magmatism, and deformation in the Curnamona Province

Submitted by: Chris Folkes, GSNSW
Analysed by: ANU Argon Facility and Melbourne University

 Completed Reports
Central NSW Project 23:
New 40Ar/39Ar age constraints on the timing of deformation on bounding structures of the Mount Foster–Tumut Zone, Eastern Lachlan Orogen, NSW

Submitted by: Mark Eastlake, GSNSW

 Not Submitted
Eastern Australia (Queensland) Project 24:
Detrital origin and depositional history of the Precipice Sandstone: implications for CO2 reservoir continuity

Submitted by: Kasia Sobczak, Centre for Natural Gas, UQ
Analysed by: University of Melbourne

 Completed
North Queensland Project 25:
Thermochronological Constraints on Crustal-Scale Shear Zones

Submitted by: AngloGold Ashanti with Solomon Jones, ANU
Analysed by: ANU Argon Facility

 Completed
Central and northeastern Victoria (GA Funded) Project 26:
Unravelling the timing of gold mineralisation across the world-class Victorian Goldfields

Submitted by: Rob Duncan and Sam Waugh, GSVIC
Analysed by: ANU Argon Facility

 Completed
central Victoria Project 27:
Devonian granites on and off the Selwyn Block, western Lachlan Fold Belt

Submitted by: Roland Maas, UMelb and Prof Ian Nicholls, Monash
Analysed by: University of Melbourne

 Completed
northern Western Australia Project 28:
Neoproterozoic granites near Winu Cu-Au deposit
by: Roland Maas and Sr. Ashleigh Hood, UMelb and Dr Hilke Dalstra, Rio Tinto Perth
Analysed by: University of Melbourne		 Completed
Central Queensland Project 29:
Stratigraphy and mineralogy of cenozoic sediments overlying the moranbah and rangal coal measures

Submitted by: Joan Esterle, School Of Earth And Environmental Sciences, UQ
Analysed by: University of Melbourne

 Completed
Central and northern Tasmania Project 30:
Mid-Cenozoic chronostratigraphy of central and northern Tasmania

Submitted by: Nick Roberts, Mineral Resources Tasmania
To be Analysed by: Curtin University, John de Laeter Centre

  
Central NSW, and central Victoria Project 31:
Geochronology of the eastern Australian leucitite suite

Submitted by: Joshua Shea, Uni Macquaire
Analysed by: University of Melbourne

 Completed
Temma, NW Tasmania (GA Funded) Project 32:
Dating the Temma iron deposits

Submitted by: Ralph Bottrill, Mineral Resources Tasmania

 Not Submitted
Hunter Valley, Sydney and South Coast, NSW Project 33:
Age of basaltic intrusions within the Sydney Basin, NSW

Submitted by: Ian Graham, UNSW Sydney
To be Analysed by: Curtin University, John de Laeter Centre

 Proposal