Wollongong Isotope Geochronology Laboratory (WIGL)

Advancing science through isotopic and geochemical innovation

The Wollongong Isotope Geochronology Laboratory (WIGL) applies advanced isotopic and geochemical techniques to investigate geological, environmental, biological, and archaeological processes. Our research spans the Quaternary to the Precambrian, and extends into the biomedical sciences. WIGL is an active member of the AuScope Geochemistry Network.

Research themes

Archaeology and Palaeontology

  • U-Th dating of teeth, bones, and speleothems
  • Dietary, mobility, and trophic insights from strontium and calcium isotopes

Biomedical Applications

  • Mapping metal distribution in biological tissues
  • Calcium isotopes in studies of osteoporosis
  • Exploring calcium isotopes in studies of kidney disease and vascular calcification

Precambrian Environments and the Evolution of Life

  • Lithium isotopes as tracers of palaeo-environmental change and animal life emergence in the Neoproterozoic
  • Metal stable isotopes (Li, Mg, Ca) to investigate the emergence of eukaryotic life in the mid-Proterozoic

Environmental Change in the Quaternary

  • Landscape response to climate change, tectonics, and human activity
  • Sedimentary uranium isotopes for erosion reconstruction
  • Lithium and boron isotopes for tracking chemical weathering and pedogenesis
  • Speleothem trace elements and isotopes for palaeoenvironmental reconstruction

Earth Surface Processes and Global Geochemical Cycles

  • Soil formation and weathering rates using uranium-series isotopes
  • Sediment transport and residence times
  • Catchment-scale erosion and rock exposure ages from in-situ cosmogenic beryllium-10

 

WIGL Periodic Table (PDF)