Dr David Heslop at the ANU Palaeomagnetic laboratory located on Black Mountain, ANU Research School of Earth Sciences

Research groups

Climate & Ocean Geoscience

Collection of research scientists that specialise in environmental reconstruction on times scales that range from thousands to millions of years for both marine and terrestrial environments, and research on fluid flow problems relevant to Earth.

Underwater coral reef

Our research is aimed at understanding nutrients, trace metals and carbon cycling in the present and past oceans.

Learn more about Biogeochemistry
Top view of blue frothy sea surface. Shot in the open sea from above.

The Climate and Fluid Physics group carries out research on fluid dynamics and thermodynamics problems relevant to Earth.

Learn more about Climate and Fluid Physics
The Eurasian and North American tectonic plates - Thingvellir National Park - Iceland

Research in geodynamics and environmental geodesy encompasses all aspects of deformation of the solid Earth and its fluid envelope.

Learn more about Environmental Geodesy
A woman sitting on a boat writing on a piece of paper

The Palaeoenvironments Group specialise in environmental reconstruction on times scales that range from thousands to millions of years.

Learn more about Palaeoenvironments

Geochemistry

The Geochemistry Research Area undertakes diverse, fundamental research to understand the evolution of Earth, its resources, and its life. We have several research groups and laboratories including Argon Geochronology, Biogeochemistry, Experimental Petrology, Sensitive High Resolution Ion Microprobe (SHRIMP), Thermal Ionisation Mass Spectrometry (TIMS) and infrared spectroscopy.

Professor Jochen Brocks inspects 1.64 billion year old sediments for molecules of the Protosterol biota. Barney Creek, Northern Australia

Brocks Geobiology researches the biological processes in deep time from the origin of life to mysterious ecosystems in Earth's earliest oceans and events.

Learn more about Brocks Geobiology
Natures window Kalbarri National Park with river flowing through gorge

The Earth Systems Geochemistry group determines and quantifies the geochemical interactions and feedbacks between rocks, water, the atmosphere and life.

Learn more about Earth Systems Chemistry
A man wearing protective glasses and gloves working in a lab.

Experimental Petrology uses a laboratory-based experimental approach combined with field observations to study the Earths' origin, evolution and mineral wealth.

Learn more about Experimental Petrology

The Jacob research group works on a range of top-level topics in low and high pressure geochemistry and mineralogy.

Learn more about Jacob Group

Geophysics

The Geophysics research area has broad interests ranging from elucidating Earth structures from the crust to the core and dynamical processes, both within its interior and at its surface, to studies of the physical mechanisms of earthquakes and the mechanical behaviour of rocks.