Who we are

The Isotope and trace element geochemistry group at the University of Melbourne was established in 1995 by Janet Hergt and Jon Woodhead. Since that time two Class 350 Clean laboratories have been constructed and we now operate a Nu Plasma MC-ICPMS and a Varian quadrupole ICPMS, both coupled to 193nm excimer laser ablation systems, which form the core of our analytical infrastructure.

Roland Maas and John Hellstrom joined the team in 2002, with Alan Greig arriving in 2005. We typically have 5-6 PhD students in our group at any time, and provide analytical services to both staff and students from the University of Melbourne as well as a wide array of other institutions.

Current and recent postdocs:

Chad Paton: development and application of new analytical methodologies

John Hellstrom: U/Th geochronology

Maurizio Tonelli: Pb-Pb step leaching geochronology of garnet

Michael Brauns: development of new analytical strategies for Osmium isotope analysis

Current and recent PhD students:

Erin Matchan: calibration of the cosmogenic neon chronometer

Rachel Chesler: Geochronological and geochemical constraints on the origin of kimberlites and related rocks in Minas Gerais, Brazil, Australia, India and Tanzania

Katsuji Kobayashi: geochemical techniques applied to the sourcing of obsidian artifacts from Anatolia

Louise Edwards: Geochemistry of the New Britain arc

Chad Paton: Geochemistry and geochronology of Indian Kimberlites

Jo Whelan: Gabbro/I-type associations in the Lachlan Fold Belt of southeastern Australia.

Kate Bassano: Pb-Pb step leaching geochronology of ore-forming processes.

Bence Paul: development of analytical techniques for the isotopic analysis of melt inclusions.

Roger Kemp: in situ Hf-isotope studies of Lachlan Fold Belt granite magmatism.

Maurizio Tonelli: development of the Pb-Pb step leaching method as a reliable chronometer in high grade metamorphic terrains.

Robert Bolhar: The geochemistry of Archaean mafic volcanics from the Marble Bar belt of Western Australia.

Andrew Pharoah: The geochemistry of Bougainville island; the origin of K2O variation in island arc volcanics.

Recent visitors to the group:

David Huston, Geoscience Australia: Sm-Nd and U-Pb geochronology

Jed Macdonald, Dept of Sustainability and Environment: Sr isotope analysis of otoliths

Jo Whelan, Northern Territory Geological Survey: Hf isotope analysis of zircons

Leon Bagas, University of Western Australia: Hf isotope analysis of zircons

Tony Crawford, University of Tasmania: Hf isotope analysis of zircons

Charlotte Allen, Australian National University: Hf isotope analysis of zircons

Michiel van Dongen, Monash University: Hf isotope analysis of zircons

Frank Bierlein, University of Western Australia: Hf isotope analysis of zircons

Alfredo Camacho, University of Minitoba: laser ablation studies of diffusion profiles

Richard Price , University of Waikato: micro-drilling Sr-isotope analysis

Balz Kamber, University of Queensland (now Laurentian University): high precision Pb-isotope analysis

Russell Drysdale, University of Newcastle: U-Th dating of Quaternary speleothems

Stephen Swearer, University of Melbourne (zoology): in situ trace element and Sr-isotope analysis of otoliths

Mark Fanning and Richard Armstrong, Australian National University : Hf isotope analysis of zircons

Gabriella Peressini, MPI, Mainz: Hf isotope analysis of zircons

Tony Kemp, University of Bristol : Hf isotope analysis of zircons from the Lachlan Fold Belt

Robert Duncan, Monash University: Pb-Pb step leaching geochronology of tourmaline

Warren Sharp, Berkeley Geochronology Center (2 visits) : MC-ICP-MS U/Th dating of recent corals and pedogenic carbonates

Ken Ludwig, Berkeley Geochronology Center (2 visits): Practical vs theoretical limitations of MC-ICP-MS analytical techniques

Joel Desmarchelier, Australian Natioanl University: U/Th dating of speleothems

Narelle Neumann, Geoscience Australia: Hf isotope analysis of zircons from central Australia

Andy Turek, University of Windsor : Pb-isotope studies of the Lynn Lake pluton

Shao-Yong Jiang, Nanjing University : economic applications of Cu and Zn isotope analysis

Ryuichi Shinjo, University of the Ryukyus : geochemical studies of the Ryukyu arc and back-arc, Japan