Thermomechanical models of the Australian plate  


Authors / CoAuthors

Hoggard, M.J. | Hazzard, J. | Sudholz, Z. | Richards, F. | Duvernay, T. | Austermann, J. | Jaques, A.L. | Yaxley, G. | Czarnota, K. | Haynes, M. | Czarnota, K.

Abstract

<div><strong>Output Type: </strong>Exploring for the Future Extended Abstract</div><div><br></div><div><strong>Short Abstract: </strong>The thickness and thermal structure of continental lithosphere influences the location of seismic and volcanic hazards and is important for predicting long-term evolution of landscapes, sedimentary basins, and the distribution of natural resources. In this project, we have developed new, continental-scale models of the thermomechanical structure of the Australian plate. We begin by compiling an inventory of >15,000 geochemical analyses of peridotitic xenoliths and xenocrysts from across the continent that have been carried up to the surface in volcanic eruptions. We apply thermobarometric techniques to constrain their pressure and temperature of equilibration and perform steady-state heat flow modelling to assess the paleogeotherm beneath these sites. We subsequently use the paleogeotherms as constraints in a Bayesian calibration of anelasticity at seismic frequencies to provide a mapping between seismic velocity and temperature as a function of pressure. We apply this method to several regional-scale seismic tomography models, allowing the temperature to be continuously mapped throughout the Australian lithospheric and asthenospheric mantle. Our models include assessment of uncertainties and can be used to query thermomechanical properties, such as lithospheric thickness, heat flow through the Moho, and the Curie depth.</div><div><br></div><div><strong>Citation: </strong>Hoggard, M.J., Hazzard, J., Sudholz, Z., Richards, F., Duvernay, T., Austermann, J., Jaques, A.L., Yaxley, G., Czarnota, K. & Haynes, M., 2024. Thermochemical models of the Australian plate. In: Czarnota, K. (ed.) Exploring for the Future: Extended Abstracts, Geoscience Australia, Canberra. https://doi.org/10.26186/149411</div>

Product Type

document

eCat Id

149411

Contact for the resource

  Resource provider

 

  Point of contact

Commonwealth of Australia (Geoscience Australia)  
Cnr Jerrabomberra Ave and Hindmarsh Dr GPO Box 378
Canberra
ACT
2601
Australia

  Point of contact

 

Digital Object Identifier

https://dx.doi.org/10.26186/149411

Keywords

( Project )
  • EFTF – Exploring for the Future
( Project )
  • Australia’s Resources Framework
( Project )
  • Lithospheric Geophysics
  • LAB
  • Lithosphere-Asthenosphere Boundary
  • Geotherm
  • Xenoliths
  • Xenocrysts
  • Geothermobarometry
  • Seismic tomography
  • Anelasticity
  • Bayesian inversion
  • Heat flow
theme.ANZRC Fields of Research.rdf
  • Geothermics and radiometricsGeologySeismology and seismic exploration
  • Published_External

Publication Date

2024-08-11T22:56:48

Creation Date

2024-05-22T02:00:00

Security Constraints

Australian Government Security Classification System    

Classification - unclassified

Legal Constraints

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence    

Use - license otherRestrictions

Status

completed

Purpose

An Exploring for the Future Extended Abstract modelling the thickness of the Australian lithospheric mantle.

Maintenance Information

notPlanned

Topic Category

geoscientificInformation

Series Information

Exploring for the Future Extended Abstracts

Lineage

<div>A dataset of xenolith and xenocryst occurrences&nbsp;are compiled using digitising data from academic literature supplemented by new analyses performed at the Centre for Advanced Microscopy, Australian National University (Suholz et al., 2024). The petrology and geochemistry of these samples is used to constrain the local temperature structure and architecture of the Australian lithosphere. Paleogeotherm modelling has been performed at each of these sites using FITPLOT (Mather et al. 2011), and the results are used to calibrate a conversion of seismic tomography to temperature. This conversion is then applied to the tomographic models of Fishwick & Rawlinson (2012) and de Laat et al. (2023) to produce thermomechanical models of the Australian plate.</div>

Parent Information

Extents

[-44, -9, 112, 154]

Reference System

Spatial Resolution

Service Information

Associations

Association Type - informed

Xenolith Constraints on Lithospheric Architecture and Mantle Geochemistry of Australia    

eCat Identifier - 149242,

UUID - 889bbc35-e78d-4950-ab44-05d7a4af6a3c

Association Type - informed

Mapping the Structure and Metasomatic Enrichment of the Lithospheric Mantle Beneath the Kimberley Craton, Western Australia    

eCat Identifier - 147708,

UUID - 83635c59-9cd4-4383-948e-ea3df023000a

Association Type - informed

Petrology, age, and rift origin of ultramafic lamprophyres (aillikites) at Mount Webb, a new alkaline province in central Australia    

eCat Identifier - 147707,

UUID - fa053e42-ed31-4547-8840-51536d388a5c

Association Type - informed

Minerals on the edge: Sediment-hosted base metal endowment above steps in lithospheric thickness    

eCat Identifier - 134991,

UUID - b0d2a825-8326-4d22-9c18-69f57086dcf5

Association Type - informed

Global distribution of sediment-hosted metals controlled by craton edge stability    

eCat Identifier - 132624,

UUID - 20dfc1aa-ca9b-425d-baad-e7437f231976

Downloads and Links

Extended Abstract for download (pdf) [3.5 MB]  

Download supplementary data file (zip) [133.7 MB]  

Source Information