News

Here are all the latest EarthByte news posts. See News Archive for recent years.

EarthByte also publishes the ‘GPlates News‘ newsletter every quarter. The GPlates newsletter contains features such as the latest GPlates updates, tutorials and datasets, EarthByte news highlights and much more! Click here to view the latest and past editions of ‘GPlates News‘, or subscribe to receive the newsletters.

The Role of Isostasy in the Evolution and Architecture of Fold and Thrust Belts

by

Warmer conditions prevalent in the hinterland of orogenic systems facilitate local ductile flow underneath the surface load, making Airy-like local isostasy more prevalent in these domains. In contrast, flexural isostasy better describes the regional response to surface loading of more rigid lithospheres. Here, we explore how the interaction between horizontal tectonic mass transfer and vertical … Read more…

Welcome to Zijing Luo

by
Zijing Luo

We welcome our new visiting overseas student Zijing Luo from China University of Geosciences. She is in Room 410, Madsen Building and you are welcome to drop by and say hello. Her research project is “Interpretable deep learning algorithm for Mineral Prospectively Mapping”.  Below is her research project summary. Deep learning (DL) algorithms have been … Read more…

EarthByte Seminar Series: A/Prof Fabio A. Capitanio

by

Join us for an enlightening seminar with A/Prof Fabio A. Capitanio from  Monash University. In this EarthByte Seminar Series event, Fabio will lead us on a captivating journey through the complex dynamics of convergent margins. He will uncover his latest research and insights into seismic forces, plate interactions, and the paradigm of subduction.

More details are below:

Seminar Details:

Share

EarthByte Seminar Series: Dr. Jianping Zhou

by

Join us for an exciting exploration of the geological history of eastern NE Asia as Dr. Jianping Zhou, a postdoctoral researcher from Ocean University of China currently visiting the EarthByte Group, takes us on a journey through time and tectonics. In this EarthByte Seminar Series event, we will delve deep into the fascinating world of Meso-Cenozoic basin-and-range systems and their role in shaping the landscape of eastern NE Asia..

More details below:

Seminar Details:

Share

EOS: Shifts in Tectonic Plates Change Biodiversity

by

For the past 250 million years, species have diversified and died out while Earth’s tectonic plate movements and sea level changes have operated in the background. They’re linked, according to new research that found that processes altering the lithosphere affect ocean levels and, in turn, the availability of shallow marine environments in which life thrives. “Why we … Read more…

EarthByte Seminar Series: Dr. Dan Sandiford

by

Join us for an enlightening session with Dan Sandiford from The University of Sydney, where he will explore the dynamic world of mantle and lithosphere dynamics, with a particular emphasis on understanding stress and deformation patterns within slabs.

More details below:

Seminar Details:

Share

EarthByte Seminar Series: A/Prof. Stuart Clark

by

Join us for an insightful session featuring Associate Professor Stuart Clark from UNSW Sydney’s School of Minerals and Energy Resources Engineering. In this event, he will delve into the fascinating realm of geophysical data interpretation and geological modeling, showcasing the integration of cutting-edge machine learning techniques and physics-based methodologies.

More details below:

Seminar Details:

  • Date: Wednesday, August 30th, 2023
  • Time: 11:30 am – 12:30 pm
  • Location: Geoscience Conference Room 449 or
  • Zoom Link: Register here … Read more…
Share

New Home for the GPlates Source Code

by

After keeping GPlates source code on SVN and SourceForge for nearly two decades, we are thrilled to unveil the new home for the GPlates source code at https://github.com/GPlates/GPlates. Although GPlates is a well-established project, it is new to GitHub.com, and as such, the current count of GitHub Stars doesn’t accurately mirror our true success and popularity. If … Read more…

Welcome to Jianping Zhou

by

We welcome our new postdoctoral researcher, Jianping Zhou, visiting for 2-3 years from the Ocean University of China in Qingdao. He obtained his undergraduate degree from Jilin University in China and completed his Ph.D. at the University of Göttingen, Germany. His research primarily focuses on the basin-and-range evolution in Eastern Asia and associated ore deposits. He plans on … Read more…

EarthByte Seminar Series: Dr. Isra Ezad

by

Our upcoming event features Isra Ezad from Macquarie University, who will be delving into “The Role of Volatiles in Mantle Melting: Observations from High-Pressure Experiments.”  Mark your calendars for August 23rd and secure your spot for an enriching experience. Zoom attendance available for remote participants. See you there!

More details below:

Seminar Details:

  • Date: Wednesday, August 23rd, 2023
  • Time: 11:00 am
  • Location: Geoscience Conference Room 449 or
  • Zoom Link: Register here … Read more…
Share

EarthByte Seminar Series: A/Prof Derek Wyman

by

We are delighted to invite you to the next talk in the Earthbyte Seminar Series, where we will delve into the fascinating world of “Plate Boundaries, Plumes, and Porphyries: the effect of plume-modified oceanic crust on porphyry development in the Americas since the Early Cretaceous.” This enlightening presentation will be delivered by Derek Wyman from the University of Sydney (USYD). Register here: EventBrite link

More details below:

Seminar Details:

  • Date: Wednesday, 02 August 2023
  • Time: 11:00 am – 12:00 pm AEST
  • Location: Madsen Rm 449 and Online: Zoom Link

… Read more…

Share

GPlates finalist in Australian Museum Eureka Prize for Excellence in Research Software

by

GPlates has been shortlisted for one of the 18 Australian Museum Eureka Prizes in 2023 – the Australian Research Data Commons Eureka Prize for Excellence in Research Software thanks to over 15 years of support by the AuScope National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy.  

Scientific Reports: A geospatial platform for the tectonic interpretation of low‐temperature thermochronology Big Data

by

Low‐temperature thermochronology is a powerful tool for constraining the thermal evolution of rocks and minerals in relation to a breadth of tectonic, geodynamic, landscape evolution, and natural resource formation processes through deep time. However, complexities inherent to these analytical techniques can make interpreting the significance of results challenging, requiring them to be placed in their … Read more…

Scientific Reports: Kimberlite eruptions driven by slab flux and subduction angle

by

Kimberlites are sourced from thermochemical upwellings which can transport diamonds to the surface of the crust. The majority of kimberlites preserved at the Earth’s surface erupted between 250 and 50 million years ago, and have been attributed to changes in plate velocity or mantle plumes. However, these mechanisms fail to explain the presence of strong … Read more…

Scientists discover 36-million-year geological cycle that drives biodiversity

by

11 July 2023 Tectonic changes alter sea levels that can create breeding grounds for life Movement in the Earth’s tectonic plates indirectly triggers bursts of biodiversity in 36-million-year cycles by forcing sea levels to rise and fall, new research has shown. Dinosaur Stampede exhibit at Dinosaur Canyon, located in Queensland’s Winton Formation which was formed … Read more…

PNAS: Earth’s interior dynamics drive marine fossil diversity cycles of tens of millions of years

by

The fossil record reveals that biotic diversity has fluctuated quasi-cyclically through geological time. However, the causal mechanisms of biotic diversity cycles remain unexplained. Here, we highlight a common, correlatable 36 ± 1 Myr (million years) cycle in the diversity of marine genera as well as in tectonic, sea-level, and macrostratigraphic data over the past 250 … Read more…

EarthByte Seminar Series: Dr. Sinan Özaydın

by

Join us on Wednesday, 24th May at 11:00 am AEDT for the next talk in the EarthByte Seminar Series. Sinan Özaydın will be presenting his talk titled “Understanding the compositional nature and architecture of the lithosphere using magnetotellurics.”

The seminar will be held at the following location: Madsen Building Room 449, School of Geosciences, University of Sydney. For those unable to attend in person, the talk will also be streamed live via Zoom. Please register here for Eventbrite Link

Don’t miss this opportunity to expand your knowledge on the magnetotelluric method and its implications for understanding the Earth’s composition and architecture. We look forward to your participation!

 

… Read more…

Share

Deep time spatio-temporal data analysis using pyGPlates with PlateTectonicTools and GPlately

by

PyGPlates is an open-source Python library to visualize and edit plate tectonic reconstructions created using GPlates. The Python API affords a greater level of flexibility than GPlates to interrogate plate reconstructions and integrate with other Python workflows. GPlately was created to accelerate spatio-temporal data analysis leveraging pyGPlates and PlateTectonicTools within a simplified Python interface. This … Read more…

Tectonics: Modeling Lithospheric Thickness Along the Conjugate South Atlantic Passive Margins Implies Asymmetric Rift Initiation

by

The lithospheric architecture of passive margins is crucial for understanding the tectonic processes that caused the breakup of Gondwana. We highlight the evolution of the South Atlantic passive margins by a simple thermal lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary (LAB) model based on onset and cessation of rifting, crustal thickness, and stretching factors. We simulate lithospheric thinning and select … Read more…

GPlately1.0 released

by

We have just released GPlately1.0 as a conda package. GPlately was created to accelerate spatio-temporal data analysis leveraging pyGPlates and PlateTectonicTools within a simplified Python interface. GPlately is a python package that enables the reconstruction of data through deep geologic time (points, lines, polygons and rasters), the interrogation of plate kinematic information (plate velocities, rates of subduction … Read more…

Clarke Memorial Lecture: Reconstructing ancient oceans, sea-level fluctuations, the deep carbon cycle and biodiversity

by

The Royal Society of NSW Clarke Memorial Open Lecture on Wednesday 5 April 2023 will be delivered by Dietmar Müller on “Reconstructing ancient oceans, sea-level fluctuations, the deep carbon cycle and biodiversity”. Venue: Gallery Room, State Library of NSW, Shakespeare Place Abstract This presentation is a journey through geological time, reconstructing ancient oceans that have … Read more…

EarthByte Seminar Series: Prof. Mike Coffin

by

Join us on March 29th at 11:00 am AEDT in Madsen Building Room 336, School of Geosciences, University of Sydney, or tune in via Zoom for the next talk in EarthByte Seimar Series to learn about the first-order question in Earth science – how tectonic plate subduction starts.

Professor MikeCoffin will discuss his research on the Macquarie Ridge Complex, which arguably constitutes the global type example for initiating plate subduction.

Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from a leading expert. We look forward to seeing you there

To register for the talk, please visit: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/earthbyte-seminar-series-prof-mike-coffin-tickets-590594633447 

… Read more…

Share

Evolution of Mantle Plumes and Lower Mantle Structure in Numerical Models Using Tectonic Reconstructions as Boundary Conditions

by

We evaluate four mantle convection models that use tectonic reconstructions to specify kinematic boundary conditions to explore the development of the lower mantle large low shear velocity provinces (LLSVP) structures and their relationship with mantle plumes. Evolution of mantle plumes in our spherical models is broadly consistent with observations including the number of plumes generated … Read more…

EarthByte Seminar Series: Dr. Luke Daly

by

Join us for an exciting talk by Luke Daly, a planetary geoscientist at the University of Glasgow, as he takes us on a journey through the geological history of a Martian volcano. Using correlative microscopy, Luke has been able to uncover the complex geological history of a group of Martian meteorites known as the Nakhlites, and has used this information to predict the geomorphology of the landscape around the launch crater.

In this talk, Luke will share his insights into the evolution of Mars and the Solar System as a whole, and how his research is informing remote sensing exploration to finally locate the source of the Nakhlite meteorites on Mars.

The talk will take place on March 15th at 11:00 am AEDT, in Madsen Building Room 331, School of Geosciences, University of Sydney and will be live-streamed via Zoom for those who are unable to attend in person. This is an excellent opportunity to learn from Luke and gain insights into the mysteries of our Solar System.

To register for the talk, please visit https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/earthbyte-seminar-series-tickets-565834575447?keep_tld=1 

We look forward to seeing you there! For more information, see the details below. See you there!

… Read more…

Share

Science: Hundred million years of landscape dynamics from catchment to global scale

by

Our capability to reconstruct past landscapes and the processes that shape them underpins our understanding of paleo-Earth. We take advantage of a global-scale landscape evolution model assimilating paleoelevation and paleoclimate reconstructions over the past 100 million years. This model provides continuous quantifications of metrics critical to the understanding of the Earth system, from global physiography … Read more…

Nature Reviews Earth and Environment: Deconstructing plate tectonic reconstructions

by

The evolving mosaic of tectonic plates across the surface of the Earth sets boundary conditions for the evolution of biotic and abiotic processes and helps shape the dynamics of its interior. Reconstructing plate tectonics back through time allows scientists from a range of disciplines (such as palaeobiology, palaeoclimate, geodynamics and seismology) to investigate Earth evolution … Read more…

Geology: The role of surface processes in basin inversion and breakup unconformity

by

In the context of continental extension, transient compressional episodes (stress inversion) and phases of uplift (depth inversion) are commonly recorded with no corresponding change in plate motion. Changes in gravitational potential energy during the rifting process have been invoked as a possible source of compressional stresses, but their magnitude, timing, and relationship with depth inversions … Read more…

Terra Nova: Brief immersion of southern Australia by change in relative plate speed

by

Dynamic subsidence and uplift of plates are often explained by the vertical motion of density anomalies in the mantle. Such models predict surface vertical motion rates of less than 100 m Myr−1 at long-wavelengths with a timespan of tens of Myr. However, during periods of relative sea-level stability, some of the phases of vertical motion … Read more…

Software Is Unlocking The Mystery Of Why Rivers Change

by

Colombian geologist Sara Polanco uses a computer-game-like river modelling software to understand the processes that make and connect river networks, hopefully providing the tools to help better manage water resources in the future. “That software allows me to simulate how rivers change under different scenarios,” Polanco says, “In a sense, it is like a computer game where … Read more…

EarthByte Seminar Series: Dr. Samuel C Boone

by

EarthByte Seminar Series presents the first talk of this year by Dr. Samuel C Boone from the University of Melbourne, titled “THERMOCHRONOLOGICAL INSIGHTS INTO CONTINENTAL BREAKUP PROCESSES.” The seminar will be held in the Madsen Building Room 449 (Conference Room) from 11 am (AEDT)  Wednesday, 18th January. You are also welcome to join us live via Zoom (link: https://uni-sydney.zoom.us/j/86426471159). For more information on the seminar, see below:

… Read more…

Share