My Research Every grain has a tale to tell.

Yousef Zoleikhaei

Research Interests

My research focuses on geochronology, tectonics, paleogeography, and the study of modern and ancient sedimentary systems—all aimed at illuminating continental‑crust evolution. My expertise lies in tracing the “life story” of individual mineral grains—from crystallization in source rocks, through sediment transport, to final basin deposition—using integrated methods such as in‑situ geochronology, isotopic and geochemical analysis of single grains, whole‑rock geochemistry, and field observations.

I enjoy both fieldwork and laboratory research.

Projects

Antarctica

Coming soon!

Australia

Tasmania (ongoing)

This project aims to reconstruct the source-to-sink relationships of the Mesoproterozoic to Cambrian successions exposed in the western/northwestern margins of Tasmania. The project will rely on multi-mineral provenance analyses, which will be conducted at Monash Isotopia Facility and Adelaide Microscopy.

Tasmanides (ongoing)

This project aims to reconstruct the tectonic setting of the cryptic Cambro-Ordovician magmatism in the Tasmanides of eastern Australia. The study combines detailed field mapping with multi-mineral age and geochemical data and whole-rock geochemistry from igneous clasts extracted from conglomerate units in the Gamilaroi Terrane. The laboratory experiments for this project will be conducted at Monash Isotopia Facility and Adelaide Microscopy.

Publications from this project:

Reconstructing a cryptic Cambro-Ordovician arc record in the Tasmanides of Eastern Australia

L Milan, T Chapman, Y Zoleikhaei, G Rosenbaum

SGTSG 2023-2024 Committee

Pilbara (ongoing)

This project aims to refine our understanding of the evolution of early continental crust with perspectives from the Pilbara Craton in western Australia. It includes fieldwork and sampling of basement rocks and cover successions in the Pilbara Craton and extensive laboratory analyses, including whole-rock and individual mineral geochronology and geochemistry. Analysis for this project will be conducted at Monash Isotopia Facility and Adelaide Microscopy.

Publications from this project:

Eoarchean apatite uncovers felsic foundations of the Pilbara Craton

M Kharkongor, JA Mulder, S Glorie, CL Kirkland, Y Zoleikhaei, S Gilbert, PA Cawood, C Hawkesworth, D Chew

Geology

India

Singhbhum (ongoing)

This project explores the evolution of early continental crust in the Singhbhum Craton in eastern India. The study relies on field observations and petrochronology of the basement rocks and cover successions in several locations across the craton margins. It employs whole-rock geochemistry, mineral age and isotopic analyses, and P-T-t modeling for understanding the temporal trends in the composition of magmatic rocks and their relationships with the emergence of continental crust above sea level.

publications from this project:

Coming soon

Iran

Several ongoing projects focus on the sedimentary record of the Iranian tectonic blocks, aiming to reconstruct their tectonic evolution, basin development, and paleogeographic history — from their accretion to the northern margin of Gondwana in the Ediacaran to their northward migration toward the southern margin of Eurasia during the Mesozoic and Cenozoic. These studies involve multi-mineral geochronology, isotopic analyses, and mineral morphological characterization, with the goal of resolving source-to-sink relationships across key stratigraphic units spanning the Ediacaran to Mesozoic. Laboratory analyses are conducted at the Monash Isotopia Facility.

Pakistan

This project focuses on source-to-sink analysis of Early Cambrian sandstones exposed in Pakistan’s Salt Ranges, part of a widespread sand sheet that blanketed the northern margin of Gondwana from the Ediacaran to Early Paleozoic. The aim is to refine the paleogeographic reconstruction of this region of Gondwana, particularly near the Arabian Plate and northwestern India.