Tag: Research

When Adelaide glass blower Karen Cunningham made art using diamond and glass, she had no idea it would inspire a new kind of hybrid material. Now a consortium of scientists, including from RMIT University and University of Adelaide, are using the technology to make a new class of quantum sensors. The study, published in APL Materials, reveals how high-performance diamond sensors can be made using conventional glass fibres. By embedding micron-scale diamond particles within the cross section of a silicate glass fibre, the team has demonstrated the use of a robust fibre material capable of sensing magnetic fields. Study lead author and RMIT School of Science’s Dr Dongbi Bai said it was an exciting achievement that opened the door to...

THE presence of metallic blue crusts on termite mounds could indicate the presence of other base metals in the surrounding area. A CSIRO study in the southern Pilbara region of WA, using advances in sample analysis, has shown how the blueish manganese crusts displayed unique zinc signatures that indicated metal deposits were in the vicinity. The crusts are also found in rock and cave varnishes, making them an easily accessible exploration tool for base metals including nickel and cobalt, which will support the world's transition to a low emissions future. Lead scientist Sam Spinks said CSIRO's innovative new exploration tools and processes were helping to tackle the global challenge of sustainable energy and resources. "Australian explorers need new, cost-effective techniques...

RESEARCHERS have developed new methods for recognising potential mineralisation hidden beneath barren cover rocks in under-explored areas of WA. A major collaboration between the Minerals Research Institute of Western Australia (MRIWA), the Centre for Exploration Targeting (CET) and sponsor Gold Road Resources, the project seeks to apply new computational technology to solving the challenges of mineral exploration below barren cover rocks. The work targeted WA’s Eastern Yilgarn Craton and Albany-Fraser Orogen, where highly-endowed regional geology known to host world-class mineral deposits is buried and hidden from view by later sediments. Led by geophysicist Mark Lindsay at the University of WA, the CET research team developed innovative processing techniques to improve the quality of conventional geophysical constraint, and applied cutting-edge machine...