Darwinaji Subarkah

Research Interests

Earth Sciences Geochemistry Geochronology Geology

Mr Darwinaji Subarkah

ARC Grant-Funded Postdoctoral Research Fellow

School of Physics, Chemistry and Earth Sciences

College of Sciences

Eligible to supervise Masters and PhD (as Co-Supervisor) - email supervisor to discuss availability.

I am a geologist with a background in industry, research, and academia. My work focuses on ancient sedimentary systems with potential for base-metal mineralisation and energy resources. I use novel and traditional geochemical and geochronological tools to understand when basins form, what environments they formed in, and whether or not they have been altered afterward. By constraining these processes, I can help better define what controls the accumulation of sediment-hosted economic targets. The tools I specialise in include new in situ applications of the Rb-Sr and U-Pb methods, stable isotopic systems (eg. C, Ca, and Sr), and redox-sensitive trace element proxies. I was awarded my Bachelor of Science majoring in Geology and Geophysics at the University of Adelaide in 2018 with First Class Honours. I began my career as a geologist working on vein-hosted gold systems and iron-oxide-copper-gold deposits in the Northern Territory and South Australia, respectively. I returned to the University of Adelaide to undertake a PhD in Earth Sciences, completing my thesis in 2023. My PhD research was on the sedimentary geochemistry and geochronology of the Proterozoic greater McArthur Basin, northern Australia.

Date Position Institution name
2022 - ongoing Postdoctoral Researcher University of Adelaide
2022 - 2023 Contractor OZ Minerals
2018 - 2019 Geologist NT Mining Operations

Date Type Title Institution Name Country Amount
2024 Award Chris Powell Medal Geological Society of Australia Australia -
2024 Award International Geological Congress Award Australian Academy of Science Australia -
2022 Award Best Student Presentation Geological Society of Australia Australia -
2022 Research Award Petroleum Exploration Society of Australia Best Student Paper Petroleum Exploration Society of Australia Australia -
2022 Research Award Central Australian Basins Symposium Best Student Presentation Petroleum Exploration Society of Australia Australia -
2021 Scholarship Eric Rudd Memorial Scholarship University of Adelaide Australia -
2021 Research Award Petroleum Exploration Society of Australia Best Student Paper Petroleum Exploration Society of Australia Australia -
2015 Scholarship Adelaide International Undergraduate Scholarship University of Adelaide Australia -
2014 Achievement World Scholar's Cup Gold Medallist World Scholar's Cup United States -
2012 Award Duke of Edinburgh's International Award Duke of Edinburgh Qatar -

Language Competency
English Can read, write, speak, understand spoken and peer review
Indonesian Can read, write, speak, understand spoken and peer review

Date Institution name Country Title
2019 - 2023 The University of Adelaide Australia PhD in Geology
2015 - 2018 University of Adelaide Australia Bachelor of Science (Honours)

Year Citation
2026 Kernen, R., Amos, K. J., Virgo, G., Lloyd, J., & Subarkah, D. (2026). Salt diapirs as an architect of Neoproterozoic stromatolite platform reefs. Geological Society of America Bulletin, 138(3-4), 1333-1345.
DOI
2026 Collins, A. S., Blades, M. L., Subarkah, D., Cooke, H., Edwards, L., Forbister, C., . . . Gostin, V. (2026). Age of the Acraman impact ejecta layer in the adelaide superbasin and Implications on clay-mineral provenance from the Rb–Sr systematics of middle Ediacaran shales. Precambrian Research, 435, 108015-1-108015-8.
DOI
2025 Loyola, C., Farkaš, J., Collins, A. S., Gilbert, S. E., Verdel, C., Löhr, S. C., . . . Haines, P. W. (2025). In situ Rb–Sr dating and REE analysis of glauconites and detrital feldspars from the Ediacaran/Cambrian strata: Centralian and Adelaide Superbasins, Australia. Precambrian Research, 427, 107851.
DOI Scopus1 WoS1
2025 Shao, Z., Farkaš, J., Glorie, S., Collins, A. S., Gilbert, S. E., & Subarkah, D. (2025). Dating of marine authigenic minerals via in situ Rb–Sr, U–Pb, and Lu–Hf: A case study from the Georgina Basin, Australia. Chemical Geology, 695, 123042-1-123042-18.
DOI
2025 Shao, Z., Farkaš, J., Glorie, S., Collins, A. S., Gilbert, S. E., & Subarkah, D. (2025). Erratum to < Erratum to <“Dating of marine authigenic minerals via in situ Rb–Sr, U–Pb, and Lu–Hf: A case study from the Georgina Basin, Australia>< Chemical Geology 695 (2025) 123042>. Chemical Geology, 695, 123063.
DOI
2025 Subarkah, D., Blades, M. L., Collins, A. S., Farkaš, J., & Virgo, G. M. (2025). Intermittent connectivity determines the oxygenation in the Favenc and lower Wilton packages of the greater McArthur Basin, northern Australia. Australian Journal of Earth Sciences, 1-20.
DOI
2024 Subarkah, D., Nixon, A. L., Gilbert, S. E., Collins, A. S., Blades, M. L., Simpson, A., . . . Farkaš, J. (2024). Double dating sedimentary sequences using new applications of in-situ laser ablation analysis. Lithos, 480-481, 107649-1-107649-13.
DOI Scopus8 WoS9
2024 Hall, A. S., Holford, S., Schofield, N., Bunch, M., Collins, A. S., Blades, M. L., & Subarkah, D. (2024). The Derim Derim Dolerite, greater McArthur Basin, Australia: Using subsurface data to characterise a mesoproterozoic magma plumbing system. Marine and Petroleum Geology, 169, 107072.
DOI Scopus1
2024 Hall, A. S., Holford, S., Schofield, N., Bunch, M., Collins, A. S., Blades, M. L., & Subarkah, D. (2024). Corrigendum to ‘The Derim Derim Dolerite, greater McArthur Basin, Australia: Using subsurface data to characterise a Mesoproterozoic magma plumbing system’ [Mar. Petrol. Geol., 169 (2024)] (Marine and Petroleum Geology (2024) 169, (S0264817224003842), (10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2024.107072)). Marine and Petroleum Geology, 170, 1 page.
DOI
2024 Löhr, S. C., Khazaie, E., Farkas, J., Baldermann, A., Gilbert, S., Maas, R., . . . Collins, A. S. (2024). Origin and Significance of Age Variability in the Glauconite Reference Material GL-O: Implications for In Situ Rb-Sr Geochronology. Geostandards and Geoanalytical Research, 49(1), 197-216.
DOI Scopus4 WoS4
2023 Subarkah, D., Collins, A. S., Farkaš, J., Blades, M. L., Gilbert, S. E., Jarrett, A. J. M., . . . Giuliano, W. (2023). Characterising the economic Proterozoic Glyde Package of the greater McArthur Basin, northern Australia. Ore Geology Reviews, 158, 105499-1-105499-17.
DOI Scopus6 WoS6
2023 Lloyd, J. C., Preiss, W. V., Collins, A. S., Virgo, G. M., Blades, M. L., Gilbert, S. E., . . . Amos, K. J. (2023). Geochronology and formal stratigraphy of the Sturtian Glaciation in the Adelaide Superbasin. Geological Magazine, 160(7), 1321-1344.
DOI Scopus6 WoS7
2022 Subarkah, D., Nixon, A. L., Jimenez, M., Collins, A. S., Blades, M. L., Farkaš, J., . . . Holford, S. (2022). Supplementary material to &amp;quot;Constraining the geothermal parameters of in situ Rb–Sr dating on Proterozoic shales and its subsequent applications&amp;quot;.
DOI
2022 Subarkah, D., Nixon, A. L., Jimenez, M., Collins, A. S., Blades, M. L., Farkaš, J., . . . Holford, S. (2022). Constraining the geothermal parameters of in situ Rb–Sr dating on Proterozoic shales and its subsequent applications.
DOI
2022 Subarkah, D., Nixon, A. L., Jimenez, M., Collins, A. S., Blades, M. L., Farkaš, J., . . . Jarrett, A. (2022). Constraining the geothermal parameters of in situ Rb–Sr dating on Proterozoic shales and their subsequent applications. Geochronology, 4(2), 577-600.
DOI Scopus12 WoS11
2022 Subarkah, D., Blades, M. L., Collins, A. S., Farkaš, J., Gilbert, S., Löhr, S. C., . . . Zack, T. (2022). Unraveling the histories of Proterozoic shales through in situ Rb-Sr dating and trace element laser ablation analysis. Geology, 50(1), 66-70.
DOI Scopus36 WoS32
2021 Virgo, G. M., Collins, A. S., Amos, K. J., Farkaš, J., Blades, M. L., & Subarkah, D. (2021). Descending into the “snowball”: High resolution sedimentological and geochemical analysis across the Tonian to Cryogenian boundary in South Australia. Precambrian Research, 367, 106449-1-106449-28.
DOI Scopus7 WoS8
2020 Subarkah, D., Blades, M., Collins, A., Farkas, J., Yang, B., Cox, G., . . . Munson, T. (2020). Shale and carbonate geochemistry of the Proterozoic greater McArthur Basin, Australia..
DOI

Year Citation
2023 Shao, Z., Farkas, J., Collins, A., Glorie, S., Subarkah, D., Gilbert, S., . . . Spandler, C. (2023). In-situ triple dating (Rb-Sr, Lu-Hf, U-Pb) of carbonate-hosted glauconite and bioapatite from the Middle Cambrian Georgina Basin, Australia. In Goldschmidt2023 abstracts. European Association of Geochemistry.
DOI
2023 Zheng, R., Farkas, J., Collins, A., Subarkah, D., Payne, J., Gilbert, S., . . . Giles, D. (2023). New constraints on the origin and post-depositional history of Neoproterozoic Breamar ironstones from South Australia: Insights from micro-scale mineral mapping and in-situ Rb-Sr dating of illite and U-Pb dating of hematite. In Goldschmidt2023 abstracts. European Association of Geochemistry.
DOI
2023 Subarkah, D., Nixon, A., Collins, A., Gilbert, S., Blades, M., Virgo, G., . . . Farkas, J. (2023). New ways to date old rocks: novel applications of in situ geochronology to constrain the sedimentary archive. In Goldschmidt2023 abstracts. European Association of Geochemistry.
DOI
- Subarkah, D., Nixon, A. L., Jimenez, M., Collins, A. S., Blades, M. L., Farkas, J., . . . Holford, S. (2022). Geothermal parameters of in situ Rb–Sr dating on Proterozoic shales and its applications. In Exploring Australia’s Resource Frontier. etroleum Exploration Society of Australia (PESA).
DOI
- Farkas, J., Collins, A., Löhr, S., Verdel, C., Blades, M., Holmden, C., . . . Yardley, S. (2022). New metal isotope techniques to explore past depositional environments of the Centralian Superbasin, Australia. In Exploring Australia’s Resource Frontier. etroleum Exploration Society of Australia (PESA).
DOI

Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name
2024 Co-Supervisor Sedimentary-hosted critical mineral systems in the McArthur Basin, Northern Australia Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Dana Nicola Imbrogno
2024 Co-Supervisor Sedimentary-hosted critical mineral systems in the McArthur Basin, Northern Australia Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Dana Nicola Imbrogno

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