The Conversation: Witness 1.8 billion years of tectonic plates dance across Earth’s surface in a new animation

Two tectonic plates meet in Thingvellir National Park, Iceland. VisualProduction/Shutterstock Alan Collins, Univ of Adelaide Using information from inside the rocks on Earth’s surface, we have reconstructed the plate tectonics of the planet over the last 1.8 billion years. It is the first time Earth’s geological record has been used like this, looking so far back … Read more…

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

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.  

Nature Reviews Earth and Environment: Deconstructing plate tectonic reconstructions

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…

EarthByte welcomes Matthew Merkas and Yiyan Wang

Welcome Matthew Merkas and Yiyan Wang to the EarthByte Group! They will work with Maria Seton and Michael Chin on “GPlates In Schools” mobile app. The “GPlates-in-schools” program is funded by AuScope, comprising a GPlates app with integrated lesson plans, to provide an Earth Science-focused education engagement initiative. Matthew is an app developer in the EarthByte … Read more…

A journey across the Atlantic seafloor

A journey across the Atlantic seafloor More than two thirds of our planet are covered by water. What lies underneath is a mystery – only 20 percent of the sea floor has been explored in detail. But hasn’t it always appealed to you, this underwater world with all its mysteries? Then join us for a … Read more…

GPlates mobile app developer wanted

The EarthByte Group is looking for a student with experience in app development to work as part of an AuScope funded GPlates-in-Schools project. The position will be covered by a casual contract of 20-30 hours per week, depending on the time commitment of the candidate. The successful applicant can complete these hours through a regular … Read more…

Volcanoes acted as a safety valve for Earth’s long-term climate

Volcanoes acted as a safety valve for Earth’s long-term climate The natural weathering of rocks on Earth’s surface over time is a crucial process for removing CO2 from the atmosphere Researchers have now used artificial intelligence to study interactions between land, sea and the atmosphere to determine the biggest drivers of this process over the … Read more…

The Conversation: Travelling through deep time to find copper for a clean energy future

More than 100 countries, including the United States and members of the European Union, have committed to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. The world is going to need a lot of metal, particularly copper. Recently, the International Energy Agency sounded the warning bell on the global supply of copper as the most widely used metal in renewable … Read more…