Projects per year
Personal profile
Biography
I am interested in a wide variety of topics in Earth and planetary sciences. I tend to apply the principles of metamorphic petrology, as well as some structural geology and igneous petrology, to fields of geoscience where these principles have been somewhat neglected. This non-traditional application of petrology has allowed me to make unique contributions to the fields of economic geology and meteoritics/planetary science.
My research in Economic Geology has involved investigating:
(1) Redox processes in subduction zones, the mantle wedge and magma mixing zones in the lower crust.
(2) Sulfide partial melting during metamorphism.
(3) Platinum group element behaviour in a range of settings.
(4) The P-T-t-D windows for metamorphic generation of sulfur rich hydrothermal fluids.
(5) The upper P-T limits at which gold deposits can form.
(6) The behaviour of metals during silicate anatexis (melting of the deep crust).
An important aim has been has been to link the results of these studies with tectonic models for the genesis of orogenic gold deposits (relates to points 4 and 5) and felsic magma-related Cu-Au deposits (relates to 1 and and 6).
Meteorites Research: Since 2007 I have been leading meteorite collecting expeditions to Australian deserts, and we have now collected over 300 new meteorites including several rare finds. My students and I have been using some of these finds in our research, which has largely evolved out of my interests in metamorphic influences on sulfide minerals in ore deposits. Our recent research has included investigating:
(a) How ancient fossil micrometeorites preserved in Earth's oldest sedimentary rocks can be used to investigate the early atmosphere.
(b) The effects of post-impact metamorphism and radiogenic metamorphism on metal-sulfide assemblages and silicate partial melting in asteroids.
(c) The role of impacts in generating large accumulations of metal, which might allow rapid core formation in planetesimals. The role of immiscibility between liquid Fe-carbide and Fe-sulfide in controling the chemical evolution of silicate-bearing iron meteorites.
(d) Sulfur isotope systematics on Mars. Possible habitats for life on Mars based on what we see in meteorites and mcirometeorites on Earth.
(e) Thermal modelling of asteroids coupled with metamorphic principles to constrain their evolution.
(f) Redox processes in asteroids.
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
Education/Academic qualification
Geoscience, PhD, Evolution of the Granulite-Hosted Challenger Gold Deposit, South Australia: Implications for Ore Genesis, Australian National University (ANU)
Award Date: 4 Oct 2002
Research area keywords
- Economic Geology
- Meteoritics
- Planetary Science
- Petrology
Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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Fluid chemistry and critical mineral enrichment in salty metamorphic belts
Tomkins, A. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)) & Green, E. (Chief Investigator (CI))
Australian Research Council (ARC)
30/06/24 → 29/06/27
Project: Research
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Expanding the Foundation of Planetary Science
Sansom, E. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), Bland, P. (Chief Investigator (CI)) & Tomkins, A. (Chief Investigator (CI))
Australian Research Council (ARC)
12/07/23 → 11/07/26
Project: Research
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Enabling future technology by building light element analysis capability; a light element optimised ultra-high resolution electron microprobe
Tomkins, A. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), Bhargava, S. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Boger, S. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Brooks, G. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Hutchinson, C. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Tardio, J. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Weinberg, R. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Wen, C. (Chief Investigator (CI)), MacRae, C. (Partner Investigator (PI)), Pownceby, M. I. (Partner Investigator (PI)) & Wilson, N. (Partner Investigator (PI))
Australian Research Council (ARC), Monash University, RMIT University, Swinburne University of Technology, CSIRO - Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, University of Melbourne
Project: Research
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Field Emission Gun Electron Probe Micro Analyser (FEG-EPMA) with optimisation for Rare Earth characterisation and Fe speciation
McRae, C. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), Tomkins, A. (Chief Investigator (CI)) & McCulloch, D. G. (Chief Investigator (CI))
1/01/23 → 31/12/24
Project: Research
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Defining the multi-scale controls on high-grade gold mineralisation
Thebaud, N. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), Fougerouse, D. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Brugger, J. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Tomkins, A. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Martin, L. A. J. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Liu, W. (Partner Investigator (PI)), Pearce, M. A. (Partner Investigator (PI)) & Rogers, J. (Partner Investigator (PI))
MRIWA - Minerals Research Institute of Western Australia, Newmont Corporation Pty Ltd
12/07/21 → 11/07/24
Project: Research
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Coprecipitation of amorphous silica and gold nanoparticles contributes to gold hyperenrichment
McNab, R. R., Brugger, J., Voisey, C. R. & Tomkins, A. G., 1 Oct 2024, In: Geology. 52, 10, p. 737-741 5 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
2 Citations (Scopus) -
Dislocation-mediated interfacial re-equilibration of pyrite: An alternative model to interface-coupled dissolution-reprecipitation and gold remobilisation
Fougerouse, D., Reddy, S. M., Sumail, Brugger, J., Thébaud, N., Rickard, W. D. A., Yang, L., Quadir, Z., Roberts, M. P., Tomkins, A. G., Martin, L., Petrella, L. & Voisey, C. R., Jun 2024, In: Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta. 374, p. 136-145 10 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open Access4 Citations (Scopus) -
Evidence suggesting that earth had a ring in the Ordovician
Tomkins, A. G., Martin, E. L. & Cawood, P. A., 15 Nov 2024, In: Earth and Planetary Science Letters. 646, 11 p., 118991.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
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Expanding the metamorphic devolatilization model: Komatiites as a source for orogenic gold deposits in high-grade metamorphic rocks
Yu, C., Zhong, R., Tomkins, A. G., Cui, H. & Chen, Y., 2024, In: Geology. 52, 1, p. 67-71 5 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open Access5 Citations (Scopus) -
Gold mineralized diorite beneath the Linglong ore field, North China craton: New insights into the origin of decratonization-related gold deposits
Li, Z. K., Li, J. W., Sun, H. S., Zhao, X. F., Tomkins, A. G., Selby, D., Robinson, P. T., Deng, X. D., Wang, Z., Yuan, Z. Z. & Zhao, S. R., 1 Jan 2024, In: GSA Bulletin. 136, 1-2, p. 277-294 18 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
14 Citations (Scopus)