Description: This PhD project will investigate how rare earth elements (REEs) and critical metals (CMs) partition between crystals, melts, and fluids within evolving carbonatite systems. The research will utilise high-pressure experimental petrology and synchrotron-based techniques, including in situ X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy (XAS), to understand the transport mechanisms of these metals.
Benefits: By enhancing our understanding of how REE deposits associated with carbonatite systems can be upgraded to economic levels of enrichment, this research will contribute to more effective exploration and extraction strategies for REE deposits. This will benefit exploration geologists seeking to understand mineralisation in these enigmatic systems and aid in the development of economically viable methods to upgrade REE concentrations, supporting Australia’s resource security and competitiveness in the global market.
