History of life and environments
History of life and environments covers a range of disciplines including sedimentology, stratigraphy, palaeontology, sedimentary geochemistry, petroleum geology and sediment-hosted ore deposits.
These disciplines are applied to a wide range of research projects that include age and origin of Indo-Pacific reefs, Southern Australian cool water carbonate systems, and Neoproterozoic reefs and palaeoceanography.
Sedimentary rocks record four billion years of the evolution of life and environmental change on Earth.
Research in sedimentary geology can be used to identify past climate and vegetation history, paleo-environmental conditions and the evolution of the oceans and atmosphere. Our group’s work covers a range of disciplines including sedimentology, stratigraphy, palaeontology, paleo-botany, sedimentary geochemistry, and sediment-hosted ore deposits. We apply these techniques to unravel the evolution of sedimentary systems, and links to biological evolution over the last 4 billion years of Earth’s history.
These disciplines are applied to a wide range of research projects that include:
- Australian sedimentary systems
- The evolution of reefs
- Precambrian-recent palaeoceanography
- Micropaleontology and biostratigraphy
- Paleo-climate and botanical history of Australia
- Earth’s oxygenation
- Diagenesis and mineralisation
- Astrobiology
- Basin evolution
- International Ocean Drilling Program
More information: Sedimentology and Earth’s surface evolution
Our Researchers
- Dr David Belton
dxbelton@unimelb.edu.au
+61 3 9035 9771 - Dr Matthew Cupper
cupper@unimelb.edu.au
+61 3 8344 6521 - Associate Professor Stephen Gallagher
sjgall@unimelb.edu.au
+61 3 8344 6513 - Dr Ashleigh Hood
avshood@unimelb.edu.au
+61 3 8344 7675 - Dr Sandra McLaren
mclarens@unimelb.edu.au
+61 3 8344 7215 - Dr Sara Morón
s.moron@unimelb.edu.au
+61 3 8344 500 - Dr Martin Norvick
norvick@ozemail.com.au - Dr Anne-Marie Tosolini
a.tosolini@unimelb.edu.au
+61 3 8344 4790 - Associate Professor Malcolm Wallace
mww@unimelb.edu.au
+61 3 8344 6526