Naturally occurring Cr(VI) has recently been reported in ground and surface waters. Rock strata rich in Cr(III)-bearing minerals, in particular chromite, are universally found in these areas that occur near convergent plate margins. Here we report experiments demonstrating accelerated dissolution of chromite and subsequent oxidation of Cr(III) to aqueous Cr(VI) in the presence of birnessite, a ...

The Mt Weld lanthanide deposit in central Western Australia is considered to be one of the largest high grade deposits known in the world, first reported as a carbonate and phosphate rich ultramafic silicate intrusion that contained a resource of the Lanthanide series [1]. It has been dated between 1.6 – 2.0 billion years, where the formation of a carbonate layer in the cooling melt created a p...

Io, the volcanically active innermost large moon of Jupiter, was a target of intense study during the recently completed NASA Galileo mission to Jupiter (1989–2003). Galileo’s suite of instruments obtained unprecedented observations of Io, including high spatial resolution imaging in the visible and infrared. This paper reviews the insights gained about Io’s surface, atmosphere and space enviro...

We investigated the interactions between CO2-rich fluids and Mg-silicate minerals using experiments to provide information on reaction rates and to identify potential catalysts for the reactions, and studies of natural analogues to assess the conditions that lead to massive carbonation of ultramafic rocks and thus the potential for field-scale implementation. Key findings from our exploratory w...