Dr. Andy Tomkins

Supervisor: Andy Tomkins & Prof. Rod Hill
Field of study: Meteorite Impact Geoscience
Support Offered: Field and analytical costs
Collaborating organisation/s: None
Preferred Program: Honours/Masters

Tektites are pebble sized glassy ejecta formed during large meteorite impacts. The ordinary tektites  are    typically  composed of about 70 percent silica (SiO2) and are much like granites in composition, with colours   ranging from pale green to black. They are found in several restricted ‘strewn’ fields across outback Australia. The interesting thing about the Australian tektites is that a dozen specimens from a sub-field in central Australia have been dated at 10 My, in contrast to the much younger ages of the ‘normal’ Australites (0.8 My). The proposed Honours/Masters project will examine the geochemistry of this older population, aiming to (1) determine whether the Central Australia Group constitutes a new strewn field and (2) investigate their provenance (the location of the impact).
For further information, contact Andy.Tomkins@sci.monash.edu.au.
 

Supervisor/s: Andy Tomkins
Field of study: Ore deposit geology
Support Offered: Field and analytical costs
Collaborating organisation/s: Frontier Resources
Preferred Program: Honours/Masters

An idea that has appeared in the recent geoscience literature suggests that one way to form a gold deposit is the following: (1) bismuth precipitates from a hydrothermal fluid as a melt (Bi melts at only 371ºC), (2) this Bi melt scavenges gold that is still dissolved in the hydrothermal fluid to form a weird Au-Bi melt (Au+Bi melts at only 241ºC), (3) this Au-Bi melts moves around scavenging more gold until deformation ceases. The resulting deposit should have a very strong correlation between gold and bismuth. This project will study the Stormont gold deposit in Tasmania, which has high Bi and Au contents, to investigate whether Bi played any role in concentrating Au. The study will involve an initial period of field work to collect samples followed by some geochemical analyses, microscope and Scanning Electron Microscope work. It is expected that the results will be publishable in a scientific journal. This project will give the student a solid grounding for a career in the minerals industry.
For further information, contact Andy.Tomkins@sci.monash.edu.au.
 

Supervisor/s: Andy Tomkins
Field of study: Experimental Ore Petrology
Support Offered: Experimental and analytical costs
Collaborating organisation/s: None
Preferred Program: Honours/Masters
 
Platinum is becoming increasingly crucial to the high technology sector, and is used particularly in catalytic converters and fuel cells, which serve to minimise or eliminate car exhaust pollution. Greatly expanded resources of this precious metal are needed to help society’s transition to a low CO2 lifestyle. Magmatic sulfide ore deposits are our most important source of platinum-group-elements, yet we currently have only a poor understanding of processes that drive ore genesis. This is because these metals are dominantly contained in minerals with As, Bi, Sb and/or Te, and almost no research has been conducted on how these elements behave within magmatic systems or how they control PGE distribution. This study will use piston cylinder experiments, conducted in the School of Geosciences Experimental Research Nexus (SOGERN), in to solve these key problems. This research will revolutionise our understanding of PGE deposit genesis, and the results will be published in a major international journal. This project thus represents the ideal stepping stone to future PhD research, or equally, a career in the minerals industry.
For further information, contact Andy.Tomkins@sci.monash.edu.au.
 

Supervisor/s: Andy Tomkins
Field of study:Ore deposit geology
Support Offered: Field and analytical costs
Collaborating organisation/s: BHP Billiton
Preferred Program: Honours/Masters
 
Olympic Dam is one of the world’s largest ore deposits, and represents the world’s largest uranium resource. Despite this the understanding of the timing of U-REE mineralisation at the deposit is poorly understood. The aim of this project is to investigate, using overprinting mineralogical and textural relationships, the timing of U-REE relative to Cu-Au mineralisation, potentially generating new insights into the genesis of the deposit. This project will give the student a solid grounding for a career in the minerals industry. At this stage, confirmation of the project is subject to agreement with BHP Billiton.
For further information, contact Andy.Tomkins@sci.monash.edu.au.