Dr David Kelsey

Biography/ Background

My academic journey began here at the University of Adelaide in 1995 with a BSc (end 1997) and BSc (Hons) (end 1998). My PhD, at the University of Melbourne, under the supervision of Professors Roger Powell and Chris Wilson, allowed me the privilege of experiencing and undertaking fieldwork in Antarctica in two consecutive summers. Subsequent to completing my PhD I worked as a post-doc at the University of Melbourne and lectured undergraduate students at LaTrobe University. In April 2005 I returned to the University of Adelaide as an ARC Research Associate on the Musgrave Province ARC Linkage Project, working with Associate Professor Martin Hand. In 2006 I was awarded a coveted 4-year ARC Australian Postdoctoral Fellowship to continue working on the Musgrave Province. The 4-year contract involved 75% research time and 25% teaching/lecturing time. In 2010 I commenced a full-time Lecturing position.

Vision statement: My goal is to continue to produce world-leading research that provides new methods and tools for the investigation of geological terranes, as well as providing important new insight into geological processes and the evolution of specific terranes. This work will continue to be published in leading international peer-reviewed journals. In terms of teaching my goal is to provide high-quality, clear, up-to-date, contextually supported material that has a strong focus on active learning and has assessment criteria that is aligned with the learning outcomes and objectives of the course.

Qualifications

1997: graduated with B.Sc from the University of Adelaide

1998: graduated with B.Sc (Hons) from the University of Adelaide

2004: graduated with PhD from the University of Melbourne

2006: awarded 4-year Australian Postdoctoral Fellowship from ARC (Australian Research Council)

2010: commenced Lectureship

Teaching Interests

My goals in teaching are twofold: 1) to convey information to undergraduate, Honours and PhD students in a manner that is clear enough to enable them to easily digest the information; and 2) to try wherever possible to provide a greater context for the information I am providing.

A source of great inspiration and satisfaction is to witness ideas presented in lectures (for example) 'clicking' in students heads, so that they have not only understood the lecture or prac material, but can appreciate its relevance and apply their new-found knowledge.

In 2011 and 2012 my teaching role is to:

1) teach the metamorphic geology component of Igneous & Metamorphic Geology III (3rd year subject in School of Earth & Environmental Sciences). This involves lectures and repeate practical sessions;

2) coordinate and lead the field-based Field Geoscience Program III (3rd year subject in School of Earth and Environmental Sciences). This is a two-week remote geological mapping course in central Australia, and is the most extensive field geological mapping students undertake in their undergraduate degree.

3) supervise 6 Honours students whose field-based research program will be focussed on understanding the nature of the enigmatic 1650 Ma and ca. 1150 Ma timeline in the North Australian Craton. These projects will be co-supervised by Professor Martin Hand and Dr Justin Payne (Uni of Adelaide) and Prof Bill Collins (Newcastle Uni).

In addition in 2012 I may also co-teach (to be decided...):
1) Tectonics III (3rd year course) field excursion through Adelaide fold belt + Kangaroo Island (level III Tectonics field excursion looking at the record of the Delamerian Orogeny); 2) Adelaide Fold belt (level III Igneous & Metamorphic Geology field excursion); 3) Level I geolgy camp on southern Fleurieu Peninsula - and introductory field camp to geological features of the Adelaide fold belt for 1st year undergraduate students. In addition to my actual teaching, I have compelted half of a two year Graduate Certificate In Higher Education. This course has already been invaluable in opening my eyes to many hitherto unconsidered aspects of teaching.

To see all the courses offered by the Geology & Geophysics discipline at the Uni of Adelaide in 2009, see the pdf file at the bottom of this page.

Research Interests

I am interested in further understanding the link between metamorphic, igneous and structural processes as a consequence of the evolution of the crust during orogenesis. In addition, I am interested in the broader-scale geodynamic (mechanical) implications of what the structural, metamorphic, igneous and even sedimentary records can reveal. My interest has been fostered greatly by working closely with Profs Mike Sandiford, Roger Powell and Chris Wilson and Assoc Prof Martin Hand.

My PhD research involved delineating the metamorphic and structural evolution of high-temperature (900-1000 degrees C) granulite-facies rocks in the Rauer Group, east Antarctica, within a temporal framework. This encompassed integrating field structural mapping, phase equilibria (using THERMOCALC) and in-situ monazite geochronology with existing studies.

My research at the University of Adelaide is conducted within the Centre for Tectonic,. Resources and eXploration (TRaX) (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/trax/), which is headed by Professor Martin Hand.

Current projects:

Constraining the thermal structure of the enigmatic Musgrave Orogeny (ca. 1230-1120 Ma) and Giles Event (approx 1000-1100 Ma) in central Australia for the purpose of providing a broad constraint on tectonic setting and also the assembly of the Australian continent. The Musgrave Province is the "black hole" in terms of our understandfing of central Australian Geology. This work has been, and will continue to be, done in conjunction with the Geological Survey of Western Australia (GSWA). The Musgrave Orogeny was an intense long-lived high-temperature event that occurred over a lateral extent of >500 km and was associated with the generation of voluminous A-type orthopyroxene-bearing granitoids as well as the generation of incredibly spectacular (and extremely dry) spinel + quartz + garnet + sillimanite metapelitic granulites. Previously funded by ARC Discovery Project awarded in 2006, and now funded by ARC Linkage Project awarded in 2010 (Linkage Partners Geological Survey of Western Australia and Curtin University of Technology). A PhD student, Alec Walsh, is working on this project.

Investigating the evolution of the North Australian Craton. A significant amount of deformation and metamorphism occurred during the Grenvillian (ca. 1150 Ma), the extent of which was previously unrecognised. Jade Anderson (PhD student) is working on this project, as well as Russell Smits (PhD student) and 6 Honours students in 2012.

Publications

 In-press articles and non-ISI publications

Werner, M., Smithies, R.H., Howard, H.M., Evins, P.M., Kelsey, D., Hand, M., Maier, W. (2009) West Musgraves Province. GSWA Field Excursion 2009. Government of Western Australia, Department of Mines & Petroleum, Geological Survey of Western Australia, pp. 69.

 

McGee, B., Giles, D., Kelsey, D.E., Collins, A.S. (2010) Feedbacks between deformation, metamorphism and metling in a granulite-facies gold deposit. Submitted to Earth and Planetary Science Letters October 2009.

 

Cutts, K.A., Hand, M., Kelsey, D.E., Strachan, R.A. (2010b) P-T constraints and timing of Barrovian metamorphism in the Shetland Islands, Scottish Caledonides: implications for regional tectonic models. Submitted January 2010 to Journal of Metamorphic Geology.

 

Dutch, R.A., Hand, M., Kelsey, D.E. (2010) The tectonothermal evolution of the crustal scale Kalinjala Shear Zone, southern Gawler Craton, Australia. Accepted upon revision, March 2010, in the Journal of the Geological Society, London.

 

Kelsey, D.E., Powell, R. (2011) Progress in linking accessory mineral growth and breakdown to major mineral evolution in metamorphic rocks: a thermodynamic approach in the Na₂O-CaO-K₂O-FeO-MgO-Al₂O₃-SiO₂-H₂O-TiO₂-ZrO₂ system. Journal of Metamorphic Geology.In press

 

Professional Associations

Member of:

Geological Society of Australia (GSA1)

Specialist Group in Tectonics and Structural Geology (SGTSG)

Specialist Group in Geochemistry, Mineralogy and Petrology (SGGMP)

Mineralogical Society of AMerica (MSA

Geological Society of America (GSA2)

Professional Interests

I regularly review manuscripts for international peer-reviewed journals (e.g. Journal of Metamorphic Geology, Lithos, Journal of Petrology, Chemical Geology, Precambrian Research, American Mineralogist), and have reviewed NSF grants and theses.

Files

• All course offered in Geology & Geophysics at Uni of Adelaide in 2009 - Geoscience_course_descriptions_09.pdf [50.5K] (application/pdf)

Entry last updated: Tuesday, 10 Jan 2012