Earth, Atmosphere & Environment

Monash is a founding member of the International Universities Climate Alliance. This is a massive step for universities to take, and @MonashEAE are thrilled to be a part of it. See more about what the alliance is doing here: universitiesforclimate.org

#workfromhome What are @MonashEAE up to during this shutdown? ⠀ #PhD student Owen Missen is working on crystal structures of rare tellurium minerals and untangling geochemistry of tellurium rich mine sites! #theworldisourlab #fornowtheofficeisourlab

More new Geology from @MonashEAE! Minerals such as zircon and monazite, formed during melting of sedimentary rocks on Kangaroo Island, South Australia, tend to crystallise at the contact between the melt and surrounding solid regions. As such, the granite melt tends to be depleted of key trace elements like Zr, Y and Rare Earth Elements, and explains the large range of ages that accessory minerals record in these melted rocks. doi.org/10.1093/petrology/egaa031

Everything you need to know about tellurium across the surface of our planet is in this new publication led by @MonashEAE #PhD student Owen Missen. Tellurium forms a disproportionate number of minerals relative to its rarity, has a rich and varied biogeochemistry, like this beautiful jensenite. ⠀ Just as there are global cycles for elements such as Carbon, Owen & team have put together the pieces to describe a biogeochemical tellurium cycle for the first time! ⠀ doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2020.103150 ⠀ Image credit: Brent Thorne (mineral collector).