Earth's Intra-Plate Volcanic Engine

Australia hosts one of the worlds most extensive intra-plate volcanic regions. However, the mechanism(s), or engine, driving this volcanism remains poorly understood. The same is true for most, if not all, intra-plate volcanic provinces on Earth. This project aims to develop a transformational new understanding of the mechanisms underpinning intra-plate volcanism, using an inter-disciplinary approach that combines cutting-edge geodynamical models with observational data-sets from geology, geochemistry and seismology, whilst exploiting the Australian continent as a natural laboratory. Implications of this research include new constraints on: (i) Australia's volcanic hazard; and (ii) the genesis of Australia's natural resources.