{"id":30060,"date":"2026-01-14T09:44:19","date_gmt":"2026-01-14T01:44:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/?post_type=media-release&p=30060"},"modified":"2026-01-14T09:44:22","modified_gmt":"2026-01-14T01:44:22","slug":"cosmic-clock-reveals-australian-landscapes-history-and-potential-future","status":"publish","type":"media-release","link":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/media-release\/cosmic-clock-reveals-australian-landscapes-history-and-potential-future\/","title":{"rendered":"\u00a0\u2018Cosmic clock\u2019 reveals Australian landscapes\u2019 history and potential future"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Curtin University researchers have demonstrated<\/a> a new way to uncover the ancient history of Australia\u2019s landscapes, which could offer crucial insights into how our environment responds to geological processes and climate change and even where deposits of valuable minerals may be found.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The international team led by Curtin\u2019s Timescales of Mineral Systems Group<\/a> at the School of Earth and Planetary Sciences<\/a>, in cooperation with the University of G\u00f6ttingen and the University of Cologne, studied tiny crystals of zircon found in ancient beach sands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zircon is one of the toughest minerals on Earth and can survive weathering, erosion and long journeys through rivers and coastlines over millions of years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trapped inside zircon grains is a rare gas called krypton, which is created when minerals are exposed at Earth\u2019s surface and hit by cosmic rays (high-energy, charged subatomic particles from space).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By measuring the krypton, the team was able to work out how long zircon grains spent near the Earth\u2019s surface before they were buried, like a \u2018cosmic clock\u2019 offering a window into the past to see how quickly or slowly the ancient landscape eroded and shifted over vast periods of time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lead author and Adjunct Curtin Research Fellow Dr Maximilian Dr\u00f6llner<\/a>, also from the University of G\u00f6ttingen, said this approach allowed scientists to study landscapes far older than previously possible, which could provide valuable insight into how the Earth\u2019s surface may respond to ongoing climate and tectonic change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur planet\u2019s history shows climate and tectonic forces can control how landscapes behave over very long timescales,\u201d Dr Dr\u00f6llner said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis research helps us understand what happens when sea levels change and how deep-seated Earth movements influence the evolution of landscapes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The findings show when landscapes are tectonically stable and sea levels remain high, erosion slows dramatically and sediments can remain stored and reworked near the surface for millions of years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Co-author and Timescales of Mineral Systems Group lead Professor Chris Kirkland<\/a>, said this has relevance for understanding the evolution of the surface of the planet over billions of years, but also future societal planning and land management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs we modify natural systems, we can expect changes in how sediment is stored in river basins and along coastlines and continental shelves,\u201d Professor Kirkland said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur results show that these processes can fundamentally reshape landscapes, not just coastlines, over time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Co-author, Associate Professor Milo Barham<\/a>, also from the Timescales of Mineral Systems Group, said the study also had important implications for Australia\u2019s mineral resources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cClimate doesn\u2019t just influence ecosystems and weather patterns, it also controls where mineral resources end up and how accessible they become,\u201d Associate Professor Barham said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cExtended periods of sediment storage allow durable minerals to gradually concentrate while less stable materials break down, explaining why Australia hosts some of the world\u2019s most significant mineral sand deposits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUnderstanding these links is critical as demand for these minerals continues to grow, as it provides a long-term perspective that can improve models used to predict future environmental and resource outcomes arising from changes to these sediment systems.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Curtin University researchers have demonstrated a new way to uncover the ancient history of Australia\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4457,"featured_media":30061,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":true,"_oasis_is_in_workflow":0,"_oasis_original":0,"_oasis_task_priority":"","_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","wds_primary_category":284,"wds_primary_research-areas":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[81,284],"tags":[],"research-areas":[],"class_list":["post-30060","media-release","type-media-release","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-earth-science","category-science-and-engineering"],"acf":{"experts":false,"post_options":{"":null,"additional_content":{"title":"","content":"","image":false},"related_courses":[{"title":"","qualification":"","link":"","description":"","faculty":""}],"credits":{"author":"","photographer":"","media":[22646,24388]},"display_author":true,"banner":{"image":false}}},"featured_image":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/PCLI-885x500.jpg","author_meta":{"first_name":"Sam","last_name":"Jeremic","display_name":"Samuel Jeremic"},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media-release\/30060","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media-release"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/media-release"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4457"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media-release\/30060\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30061"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30060"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30060"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30060"},{"taxonomy":"research-areas","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/research-areas?post=30060"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}