Welcome to the Sedimentary Geology & Paleontology Research Group (the Gravelmonkeys) at James Cook University (JCU)! We are a dynamic and multidisciplinary research team comprised of strong PhD and Honours student cohorts, with collaborators across JCU, Australia, and the world. The research group is led by Associate Prof. Eric Roberts, but also draws on the considerable knowledge and expertise of Prof. Paul Dirks and Dr. Espen Knutsen, who also act in a supervisory capacity. Other JCU faculty involved in our research collaborations include Prof. Bob Henderson, Dr. Maree Corkeron, Dr. Jan Marten Huizenga, and Dr. Ioan Sanislav. 

We engage in research worldwide, focusing on sedimentology, stratigraphy, tectonics, paleontology, and hydrocarbon exploration. Our key research loci are Australasia and Africa - encompassing north Queensland, Tanzania, South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Mali. Other research projects center on South Australia, Antarctica, the U.S.A. (Utah/Montana), and China.

Our Research

Clastic Sedimentology
U-Pb Detrital Zircon Geochronology
Tectonic Reconstructions
Basin Analysis
Reservoir/Aquifer Characterization
Hydrocarbon Exploration 

Radiometric Dating of Fossils
Paleoenvironmental Reconstruction
Paleoclimatic Analysis
Vertebrate Taphonomy & Paleoecology
Continental Ichnology