Balz S. Kamber

Professor
Canada Research Chair in Precambrian Geology

Department of Earth Sciences
Laurentian University
Sudbury, Ontario
P3E 2C6
Telephone: (705) 675-1151 ext 2249
E-mail: bkamber@laurentian.ca

Please visit http://chemicalfingerprinting.laurentian.ca for more information about my current research.

Current Graduate Students

Ph.D. Students

M.Sc. Students

Former Graduate Students

Ph.D. students

Dr. Michael Lawrence (Ph.D. candidate, 2004-, School of Physical Sciences, University of Queensland) working on estuarine rare earth element systematics and their importance for Precambrian hydrogenous sediments

Dr. Samuel Marx(Ph.D. candidate, 2002-, School of Geography, University of Queensland) working on trace element and isotope systematics of dust and their use as provenance tools

Dr. David Murphy (currently Marie-Curie Fellow at Manchester University) graduated in 2003 with a thesis on global Pb isotope systematics and the importance of sediment recycling into the mantle

Dr. Lynda Petherick (M.Sc. candidate, 2004-, School of Geography, University of Queensland) working on subtropical lake and peat deposits and their use as Quarternary climate proxies

Dr. Elisa Young (Ph.D. candidate, 2003-, School of Physical Sciences, University of Queensland) working on mass independent sulphur isotope fractionation in Precambrian sedimentary sulphides

Representative Publications

Chapters in Books

Moorbath, S. and Kamber, B.S. (2004): Searching for oldest life on Earth: A progress report. In: Seckbach, J. et al. (Eds.). Life in the Universe, pp. 63-66. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, The Netherlands.

Journal Articles

Ohmoto, H., Runnegar, B., Kump, L.R., Fogel, M.L., Kamber, B.S., Anbar, A.D., Knauth, P.L., Lowe, D.R., Sumner, D.Y., Watnabe, Y. (2008): Biosignatures in ancient rocks. Astrobiology, 8, 883-907.

Mekala, R.M., Kamber, B.S., and Piercey, S.J. (2008): Boron and arsenic in highly evolved Archean magmas: Implications for Archean subduction processes. Earth. Planet. Sci. Lett., 274, 479-488.

Shirey, S.B., Kamber, B.S., Whitehouse, M.J., Mueller, P.A., and Basu, A.R. (2008): A review of the isotopic and trace element evidence for mantle and crustal processes in the Hadean and Archean: Implications for the onset of plate tectonic subduction. In Condie, K.C. and Pease V., eds., When did plate tectonics begin on planet Earth? Geol. Soc. Amer. Spec. Paper 440. P. 1-29.

McGowan, H.A., Petherick, L.M. and Kamber, B.S. (2008): Aeolian sedimentation and climate variability during the late Quaternary in southeast Queensland, Australia. Paleo. Paleo. Paleo., 265, 171-181.

Marx, S.K., Kamber, B.S., and McGowan, H.A. (2008): Scavenging of atmospheric trace metal pollution by mineral dusts: The inter- regional transport of Australian trace metal pollution to New Zealand. Atmos. Pollution., 42, 2460-2478.

von Blanckenburg, F., Mamberti, M., Schoenberg, R. Kamber, B.S., Webb, G.E. (2008): The iron isotopes composition of microbial carbonate. Chem. Geol., 249, 113-128.

Kamber, B.S. and Webb, G.E. (2007): Transition metal abundances in microbial carbonate: A pilot study based on in situ LA-ICP-MS analysis. Geobiology. 5, 375-389.

Allwood, A.C., Walter, M.R, Burch, I.W., and Kamber, B.S. (2007): 3.43 billion-year-old stromatolite reef from the Pilbara Craton of Western Australia: ecosystem-scale insights to early life on Earth. Precamb. Res., 158, 198-227.

Kamber, B.S. (2007): The enigma of the terrestrial protocrust: evidence for its former existence and the importance of its complete disappearance. In ‘Earth’s oldest rocks’ van Kranendonk, M., Smithies, H and Bennett, V. Eds., p.75-89, Elsevier, Amsterdam.

Gao, Y.F., Hou, Z.Q., Kamber, B.S., Wei, R., Meng, X.J. and Zhao, R.S. (2007): Lamproitic rocks from a continental collision zone: evidence for recycling of subducted Tethyan oceanic sediments in the mantle beneath southern Tibet. J. Petrol., 48, 729-752.

Lawrence, M.G. and Kamber, B.S. (2007): Rare earth element concentrations in the natural water reference materials (NRCC) NASS-5, CASS-4 and SLEW-3. Geostandards and Geoanalytical Research., 31, 1-9.

Lewis, S.E., Kamber, B.S., Shields, G.A. and Lough, J.M. (2007): A multi-trace element coral record of land-use changes in the Burdekin River catchment, NE Australia. Paleo. Paleo. Paleo., 246, 471-487.

Kamber, B.S., Whitehouse, M.J. (2007): Micro-scale sulphur isotope evidence for sulphur cycling in the late Archean shallow ocean. Geobiology, 5, 5-17.

Yu, K., Kamber, B.S., Lawrence, M.G., Greig, A. and Zhao, J.X. (2007): A pilot study on annual variations of heavy metals, lead isotopes and rare earth elements in mangrove tree rings and their environmental significance. Nuclear Inst. and Methods in Physics Research, B., 255, 399-408.

Bolhar, R, Kamber, B.S. and Collerson, K. D. (2007): U-Th-Pb fractionation in Archaean lower continental crust: Implications for terrestrial Pb isotope systematics. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett., 254, 127-145.

Gao, Y.F., Wei, R., Kamber, B.S., Hou, Z.Q., Meng, X.J. (2007): Adakite-like porphyries from the southern Tibetan continental collision zones: evidence for slab melt metasomatism. Contrib. Mineral. Petrol., 153, 105-120.

Bolhar, R, Kamber, B.S. and Collerson, K. D. (2007): U-Th-Pb fractionation in Archaean lower continental crust: Implications for terrestrial Pb isotope systematics. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett., 254, 127-145.

Gao, Y.F., Wei, R., Kamber, B.S., Hou, Z.Q., Meng, X.J. (2007): Adakite-like porphyries from the southern Tibetan continental collision zones: evidence for slab melt metasomatism. Contrib. Mineral. Petrol., 153, 105-120.

Kamber, B.S. and Kramers, J.D. (2006): Core formation: Timing from Pb isotopes. Nature. 444, E1-E2.

Allwood, A.C., Walter, M.R., Kamber, B.S., Marshall, C.P., Burch, I.W. (2006): Stromatolite reef from the Early Archaean era of Australia. Nature, Vol 441, June 8, 2006, 714-718.

Lawrence, M.G., Jupiter, T., and Kamber, B.S. (2006): Aquatic geochemistry of REY in the Pioneer River catchment, Mackay, Queensland, Australia. Marine Freshw. Res., 57, 725-736.

Fedo, C.M., Whitehouse, M.J., Kamber, B.S. (2006): Geological constraints on detecting the earliest life on Earth: a perspective from the Early Archaean (older than 3.7 Gyr) of southwest Greenlalnd. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, 361, 851-867.

Lawrence, M.G., Greig, A., Collerson, K.D., Kamber, B.S. (2006): Rare Earth Element and Yttrium Variability in South East Queensland Waterways. Aquatic Geochemistry, 12, 39-72.

Lawrence, M.G., Greig, A., Collerson, K.D., Kamber, B.S. (2006): Direct quantification of rare earth element concentrations in natural waters by ICP-MS. Applied Geochemistry, 21, 839-848.

Lawrence, M.G., Kamber, B.S. (2006): The behaviour of the rare earth elements during estuarine mixing - revisited. Marine Chemistry, 100, 147-161.

Kamber, B.S., Whitehouse, M.J., Bolhar, R. and Moorbath, S. (2005): Volcanic resurfacing and the early terrestrial crust: zircon U-Pb and REE constraints from the Isua Greenstone Belt, southern West Greenland. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 240, 276-290.

Marx, S.K., Kamber, B.S. and McGowan, H.A. (2005): Long term estimates of Australian dust flux into New Zealand: Quantifying the eastern Australian dust plume pathway using trace element calibrated 210Pb as a monitor. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 239, 336-351.

Marx, S.K., Kamber, B.S. and McGowan, H.A. (2005): Provenance of dust determined with ultra trace element composition; a pilot study with samples from New Zealand glaciers. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 30, 699-716.

Bolhar, R, Van Kranendonk, M. J. and Kamber B.S. (2005): A trace element study of siderite-jasper banded iron formation in the 3.45 Ga Warrawoona Group, Pilbara Craton – formation from hydrothermal fluids and shallow seawater. Precamb. Res., 137, 93-114.

McGowan, H.A., Kamber, B.S., McTainsh, G. H. and Marx, S.K. (2005): High resolution provenancing of long travelled dust deposited on the Southern Alps, New Zealand. Geomorphology, 69, 208-221.

Whitehouse, M.J., Kamber, B.S., Fedo C.M. and Lepland A. (2005): Integrated Pb- and S-isotope investigation of sulphide minerals from the early Archaean of southwest Greenland. Chem. Geol., 222, 112-131.

Whitehouse, M.J., Kamber, B.S. (2005): Assigning dates to thin gneissic veins in high-grade metamorphic terranes - a cautionary tale from Akilia, southwest Greenland. J. Petrol., 46, 291-318.

Bolhar, R, Kamber B.S., Moorbath, S., Whitehouse, M.J., Collerson, K.D. (2005) Chemical characterisation of Earth’s most ancient clastic metasediments from the Isua Greenstone Belt, southern West Greenland. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta. 69, 1555-1573.

Kamber B.S., Greig A., Collerson, K.D. (2005) A new estimate for the composition of weathered young upper continental crust from alluvial sediments, Queensland, Australia. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta., 69, 1041-1058.

Baublys, K.A., Golding, S.D., Young, E., and Kamber, B.S. (2004): Simultaneous determination of 33SV-CDT and 34SV-CDT using masses 48, 49 and 50 on a continuous flow isotope ratio mass spectrometer. Rapid Commun. Mass Spectrom., 18, 2,765-2,769.

Kamber B.S., Bolhar, R, Webb, G.E. (2004), Geochemistry of late Archaean stromatolites from Zimbabwe: Evidence for microbial life in restricted epicontinental seas. Precamb. Res., 132, 379-399.

Bolhar, R, Kamber B.S., Moorbath, S., Fedo, C.M., Whitehouse, M.J. (2004), The characterisation of early Archaean chemical sediments by trace element signatures, Earth Planet. Sci. Lett., 222, 43-60.

Webb, G.E. and Kamber, B.S. (2004): Biogenicity inferred from microbialite geochemistry. Microbiology Australia 24, 36-37.

Ewart, A., Marsh, J.S., Milner, S.C., Duncan, A.R., Kamber B.S., Armstrong R.A. (2004) Petrology and geochemistry of early Cretaceous bimodal continental flood volcanism of the NW Etendeka, Namibia. Part 1: Introduction, mafic lavas and re-evaluation of mantle source components. J. Petrol. 45, 59-105.

Ewart, A., Marsh, J.S., Milner, S.C., Duncan, A.R., Kamber B.S., Armstrong R.A. (2004) Petrology and geochemistry of early Cretaceous bimodal continental flood volcanism of the NW Etendeka, Namibia. Part 2: Characteristics and petrogenesis of the high-Ti latite and high-Ti and low-Ti voluminous quartz latite eruptives . J. Petrol. 45, 107-138.

Nothdurft, L.D., Webb, G.E. Kamber, B.S. (2004): Rare earth element geochemistry of Late Devonian reefal carbonates, Canning basin, Western Australia: Confirmation of a seawater REE proxy in ancient limestones. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta. 68; 263-283.

Van Kranendonk, M.J., Webb, G.E., Kamber B.S. (2003) New geological and trace element evidence from 3.45 Ga stromatolitic carbonates in the Pilbara Craton: support of a marine, biogenic origin and for a reducing Archaean ocean. Geobiology 1, 91-108.

Schönberg, R., Nägler, Th., Gnos, E. Kramers, J.D. and Kamber, B.S. (2003): The source of the Great Dyke, Zimbabwe, and its tectonic significance: Evidence from Re-Os isotopes. J. Geol. 111, 565-578.

Kleinhanns, I.C., Kramers, J.D. and Kamber, B.S. (2003): Archaean granitoids from hydrated mantle wedge: a comparative study of TTG and potassic granitoids from Barberton Mountain Land, South Africa. Contrib. Mineral. Petrol. 145, 377-389.

Whitehouse, M.J., Kamber, B.S. (2003): A rare earth element study of complex zircons from early Archaean coastal Itsaq gneisses, south-west Greenland. Precamb. Res. 126, 363-377.

Kamber, B.S., Grieg, A., Schönberg, R., Collerson, K.D. (2003): A refined solution to Earth’s hidden niobium: Implications for evolution of continental crust and depth of core formation. Precamb. Res. 126, 289-308.

Kamber, B.S., Collerson, K.D., Moorbath, S., and Whitehouse, M.J. (2003): Inheritance of early Archaean Pb-isotope variability from long-lived Hadean protocrust. Contrib. Mineral. Petrol. 145, 25-46.

Murphy, D.T., Kamber, B.S., and Collerson, K.D. (2003): A refined solution to the first terrestrial Pb-isotope paradox. J. Petrol. 44, 39-53.

Whitehouse, M.J., Kamber, B.S. (2002): On the overabundance of light rare earth elements in terrestrial zircons and its implications for Earth’s earliest magmatic differentiation. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 204, 333-346.

Schönberg, R., Kamber, B.S., Collerson, K.D., Moorbath S. (2002): Tungsten isotope evidence from ~3.8 Gyr metasediments for meteorite bombardment of the Earth. Nature 418, 403-405.

Ulrich, T., Golding, S.D., Kamber,B.S., Zaw, K., and Taube, A. (2002): Different mineralization styles in a volcanic-hosted ore deposit; the fluid and isotopic signatures of the Mt Morgan Au-Cu deposit, Australia. Ore Geology Reviews 22, 61-90.

Kleinhanns, I.C., Kreissig, K., Kamber, B.S., Meisel, T., Nägler, T.F., and Kramers, J.D. (2002): Combined chemical separation of Lu, Hf, Sm, Nd and REEs from a single rock digest; Precise and accurate isotope determinations of Lu-Hf and Sm-Nd using MC-ICP-MS. Anal. Chem. 74, 67-73.

Kamber, B.S., Ewart, A., Collerson, K.D., Bruce, M.C., and McDonald, G.D. (2002): Fluid-mobile trace element constraints on role of slab melting and implications for Archaean crustal growth models. Contrib. Mineral. Petrol. 144, 38-56.

Schönberg, R., Kamber, B.S., Collerson, K.D. and Eugster O. (2002): New W-Isotope Evidence for Rapid Terrestrial Accretion and Very Early Core Formation. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta. 66, 3151-3160.

Murphy, D.T., Collerson, K.D., and Kamber, B.S. (2002): Lamproites from Gaussberg: Possible transition zone melts of Archaean subducted sediments. J. Petrol. 43, 981-1001.

Collerson, K.D., Kamber, B.S., Schoenberg, R. (2002): Applications of accurate, high-precision Pb isotope ratio measurement by multi-collector ICP-MS. Chem. Geol. 188, 65-83.