Research in earth science and physical geography

Research groups and labs

• Earthquake Research Group

  We investigate active faults and earthquake records to better understand seismic hazards in Australia's stable continental interior.

• Earth Surface Processes

  The Earth Surface Processes cluster uses observational and modelling research methods to study surface and near-surface geological, geomorphological, meteorological, and anthropogenic phenomena.

• Forest Hydrology

  Answering key questions on the hydrologic and geomorphic response of native and planted forests to growth, and disturbance by fire and climate drivers.

• Geochemistry, Geochronology and Thermochronology

  The Geochemistry, Geochronology and Thermochronology cluster conducts research on method development and the application of geochemical techniques to the timing, evolution and rates of geological, biological, and environmental processes.

• Geophysics and Geodynamics

  The Geophysics and Geodynamics Cluster research program aligns with eleven of the seventeen Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations. We add value to society and the economy by conducting fundamental and applied research into the structure and dynamics of the solid Earth.

• Geothermal Energy and Heat Flow

  The Geothermal Energy and Heat Flow Research Group investigates where and how geothermal energy can be used in Australia and elsewhere around the world.

• Landscape and Forest Dynamics (LaForDy)

  LaForDy focuses on understanding how forest ecosystems and forested landscapes develop and respond to climate and natural and anthropogenic disturbances.

• Lithospheric Processes Research Group

  The lithosphere is the rigid outer layer of the Earth. The Lithospheric Processes research cluster works to understand the lithosphere over many length scales and time scales.

• Melbourne Analytical Geochemistry

  Melbourne Analytical Geochemistry—MAG—builds on over 20 years of field-leading trace element and isotope geochemistry.

• Noble Gas Geochronology

  Application of the ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar dating method to determine the ages and cooling histories of a variety of rocks, including those associated with young volcanoes, ore deposits and metamorphic terranes.

• Palaeontology

  The Palaeontology Group at the University of Melbourne investigates interactions between Earth, life, climate, and environments over geological time.

• Palynology, Palaeoecology and Biogeography

  Palaeoecological and biogeographic research developing and integrating high-resolution palaeoenvironmental records from across the Southern Hemisphere, primarily in Australia, providing comprehensive reconstructions of environmental change over time.

• Past Fire Frequency and Intensity Reconstruction

  PF-FIRE is composed of a team of international scientists seeking to understand how fire has changes in frequency and intensity in space and in time. We specialise in time, using the fossil and sub-fossil record to reconstruct changes in fire and fuels (vegetation) across the Earth.

• Quaternary Landscapes and Sediment (QuaLaS)

  Investigating a wide range of Earth surface processes over various timescales in the Quaternary to better understand the dynamic evolution of our environment.

• Recycle and Reuse of Agricultural Wastes

  The Agricultural and Urban Waste Management research group aims to improve nutrient and resource recovery by investigating nutrient re-use and recycling and the recovery of other valuable resources from agricultural and urban waste.

• Renewable Energy

  The imperative to reduce greenhouse gas emissions has never been stronger and urgent. This urgency necessitates considering all possible renewable energy sources to decarbonise the economy. Geothermal energy is an emissions-free, sustainable alternative to natural gas combustion for heating.

• Responsible Mining and Energy Transition

  Our group combines expertise in remote sensing, GIS, geosciences, environmental engineering, and human and physical geography to explore the human and environmental impacts and risks of mining and energy transitions.

• Speleothem Research Group

  Investigating past climate and environmental change using speleothems (cave mineral formations, such as stalagmites and stalactites).

• Tectonics, Petrology and Lithospheric Processes

  Tectonic processes involve the deformation of the lithosphere – the rigid, conductive outer shell of the Earth. Spanning the intersections between geology, geophysics and geochemistry, the Tectonics, Petrology and Lithospheric Processes Cluster explores a range of geological settings across geological time.

• Trace Analysis for Chemical, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences

  The TrACEES research platform supports research requiring high quality surface chemical analysis, trace elemental and speciation analysis, and associated structural chemical analysis.