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Dr Adriana Dutkiewicz, PhD

Dr Adriana Dutkiewicz

Senior Lecturer

Madsen Building (F09), Rm 431
Phone: +61 2 9351 5192
Fax: +61 2 9351 0184
Email:

Research Interests

My research is focused on petrology of sedimentary rocks, fluid geochemistry, fluid inclusions, formation of sedimentary opal, Precambrian oil and Earth’s early life and environments. My currently funded projects include the study of ancient (older than about 1.6 billion years) petroleum systems. This project exploits recently discovered early Precambrian oil-bearing fluid inclusions and their geochemical compositions, including biomarkers, to constrain hydrocarbon-ore fluid interactions, the pressure-temperature conditions under which they co-exist, the diversity of the primordial biosphere and the nature of life’s earliest habitats. This research has included rocks from some of the oldest basins in Australia, Oklo natural fission reactors in Gabon, the Kapvaal Craton in South Africa and the Superior Craton in Canada. I am also investigating geological and geochemical processes involved in the formation of Australia’s precious opal deposits in the Great Artesian Basin, including Queensland boulder opal and Lightning Ridge black opal. I am especially interested in the composition of fluids responsible for the formation of opal and the timing of opal formation in relation to the complex geological history of the Great Artesian Basin. All of my research in multi-disciplinary and usually involves the use of fancy instruments and the development of novel analytical techniques or approaches.

Selected Peer- Reviewed Publications

  • George, S.C., Volk, H. and Dutkiewicz, A., in press. Mass spectrometry techniques for analysis of oil and gas trapped in fluid inclusions. In: Lee, M. (ed), Applied Mass Spectroscopy Handbook. John Wiley and Sons. Accepted March 2010.
  • Mossman, D., Minter, W.E.L., Dutkiewicz, A., Hallbauer, D.K., George, S., Hennigh, Q., Reimer, T.O. and Horscroft, F.D., 2008. The indigenous origin of Witwatersrand “carbon”. Precambrian Research, 164, 173-186.
  • Mossman, D., Gauthier-Lafaye, F., Dutkiewicz, A. and Brüning, R. 2008. Carbonaceous substances in Oklo reactors -analogue for permanent deep geologic storage of anthropogenic nuclear waste. Reviews in Engineering Geology XIX, p. 1-13.
  • Dutkiewicz, A., Mossman, D.J., Ridley, J., George, S.C. and Volk, H., 2007. Oil and its biomarkers associated with the Palaeoproterozoic Oklo natural fission reactors, Gabon. Chemical Geology, v. 244, p. 130-154.
  • Dutkiewicz, A., Volk, H., Ridley, J., and George, S.C., 2007. Precambrian inclusion oils in the Roper Group. In: Munson TJ and Ambrose GJ (editors) 'Proceedings of the Central Australian Basins Symposium (CABS), Alice Springs 16–18 August, 2005.' Northern Territory Geological Survey, Special Publication, p. 326-348.
  • Dutkiewicz, A., Volk, H., George, S.C., Ridley, J. and Buick, R., 2006. Biomarkers sealed in oil-bearing fluid inclusions trapped before the Great Oxidation Event. Geology, v. 34, p. 437-440.
  • Dutkiewicz, A., Volk, H., Ridley, J. and George, S.C., 2004. Geochemistry of oil in fluid inclusions in a Middle Proterozoic igneous intrusion: implications for the source of hydrocarbons in crystalline rocks. Organic Geochemistry, v. 35, p. 937-957.
  • Dutkiewicz, A., Volk, H., Ridley, J., George, S., 2003. Biomarkers, brines and oil in the Mesoproterozoic, Roper Superbasin, Australia. Geology, v. 31, p. 981-984.
  • Dutkiewicz, A., Ridley, J. and Buick, R., 2003. Oil-bearing CO2-CH4-H2O fluid inclusions: oil survival since the Palaeoproterozoic after high temperature entrapment. Chemical Geology, v. 194, p. 51-79.
  • Dutkiewicz, A. and Ridley, J., 2003. Post-entrapment movement of fluid into inclusions in barite: the importance of sample preparation and inclusion recognition in hydrocarbon migration studies. Journal of Sedimentary Research, v. 73, p. 171-176.
  • Dutkiewicz, A., Herczeg, A.L. and Dighton, J.C., 2000. Past changes to isotopic and solute balances in a continental playa: clues from stable isotopes of lacustrine carbonates. Chemical Geology, v. 165, p. 309-329.
  • Dutkiewicz, A., Rasmussen, B. and Buick, R., 1998. Oil preserved in fluid inclusions in Archaean sandstones. Nature, v. 395, p. 885-888.
  • Dutkiewicz, A. and Prescott, J.R., 1997. Thermoluminescence ages and palaeoclimate from the Lake Malata - Lake Greenly complex, Eyre Peninsula, South Australia. Quaternary Science Reviews, v. 16, p. 367-385.
  • Dutkiewicz, A. and von der Borch, C.C., 1995. Lake Greenly, Eyre Peninsula, South Australia: sedimentologic, palaeoclimatic and palaeohydrologic cycles. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, v. 113, p. 43-56.

Awards and Distinctions

  • 2006: Dorothy Hill Award from the Australian Academy of Science.
  • 2006: CSIRO Medal for Scientific Achievement (group award).
  • 2005: JG Russell Award from the Australian Academy of Science.
  • 1997: Ph.D. thesis selected for special commendation by Flinders University (accepted without revision).
  • 1991: The Western Mining Prize for Excellence in Geoscience (top First Class Honours).

Employment History

2010- present: Senior Lecturer, The University of Sydney
2005-2010: ARC QEII Research Fellow, The University of Sydney
2000-2004: ARC APD Fellow, The University of Sydney.
1996-2000: Project geologist, CSIRO Division of Petroleum Resources

Recent Research Grants

  • 2009-2011: ARC Discovery Grant: Rey, P. and Dutkiewicz, A. “The Origin of Australian Opal Deposits: Unlocking the secrets of an Australian icon”.
  • 2005-2009: ARC Discovery Grant: Dutkiewicz, A., George, S.C., Volk, H.H. Biosphere, hydrocarbon and ore fluid interactions in the early Precambrian.

Honours Projects Available

  • Oil migration within the Archaean Witwatersrand Basin, South Africa: regional-scale oil migration, timing of fluid entrapment, petrography, implications for exploration, composition of early biosphere.
  • Precambrian Bitumen Nodules: timing of formation, mode of formation, geochemistry and composition, implications for Precambrian biosphere/environment.
  • Sedimentary opal deposits: using petrography, geochemistry and isotopic composition of opal (precious and common) and associated minerals to constrain the conditions under which Australian opal has formed. Some fieldwork may be involved.
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Opal research project