Professor Neville Exon
Areas of expertise
- Petroleum And Coal Geology 040309
- Structural Geology 040312
- Tectonics 040313
- Marine Geoscience 040305
- Geology 0403
Research interests
I have had a varied career in geoscience as a sedimentologist, both onshore and offshore, and marine geologist. My present research interests are in marine geology and geophysics in the broad sense, with a special interest in Australia's continental margin and marginal plateaus.
My role at ANU until my retirement in 2017 was Program Scientist in charge of the Australian IODP Office (AIO), which is responsible for the day-to-day running of Australia-NZ IODP Consortium (ANZIC) affairs, and responsible both to the ANU Delegate and to the ANZIC Governing Council. My role involved science planning, science administration and science encouragement on behalf of the Australian, and to a lesser extent New Zealand, marine geoscience communities that are involved in IODP. The Research School of Earth Sciences hosts AIO.
IODP is the International Ocean Discovery Program, a major international research program to drill beneath the world’s ocean bed, taking continuous cores in order to solve global scientific problems. Australia and New Zealand are participants in this program, with Australia’s funding coming from the Australian Research Council, 13 universities, two government agencies and a marine geoscience peak body. For more information see http://www.iodp.org.au and http://www.iodp.org.
Biography
I have had a varied, rewarding and very interesting career in geoscience as a sedimentologist and marine geologist, including over forty years in Geoscience Australia (GA) and its predecessors (AGSO and BMR), where I started as an onshore field geologist in 1963, mapping Queensland sedimentary basibn, moved into marine research in frontier areas in the 1970s, and completed my Government career in 2005 as a Senior Principal Research Scientist in charge of exploration and research in marine geology and geophysics. Since 1969, I have participated in 46 marine expeditions, many as Chief Scientist, on both Australian and foreign vessels. Two of those expeditions were part of the Ocean Drilling Program, and I was a lead author in the proposals for them and co-chief scientist on one. Those in the Australian marine jurisdiction were designed to geologically map poorly known areas in order to address tectonic problems, to assist petroleum assessment and to aid marine planners.
From 2005 to 2007, I continued my research in marine geoscience as a Visiting Fellow at ANU, and took a leading role in Australia’s successful bid to join ODP's successor, the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) from 2008 to 2013. I also played a leading role in our successful bid for further funding for 2014 and 2015 for the renamed International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP).
From 2008 to 2017 I held a professorial position at the ANU Research School of Earth Sciences, working as Program Scientist for Australia and New Zealand in IODP (see Research Interests). I now have a position as a Emeritus Professor at RSES.
In 2018 I was awarded the W.R. Browne award for an outstanding career in geology in Australia by the Geological Society of Australia.
In 2019 I became a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for 'significant service to marine geology, and to higher education'.
I have produced all or part of twelve scientific books or monographs, about 150 refereed scientific papers, and 45 major BMR-AGSO-GA Records (legacy reports available on line at Geoscience Australia).
Publications
- Becker, K, Austin, J, Exon, N et al 2019, '50 years of Scientific Ocean Drilling', Oceanography, vol. 32, no. 1, pp. 17-21.
- McKay, R, Exon, N, Mueller, R et al 2018, 'Developing community-based scientific priorities and new drilling proposals in the southern Indian and southwestern Pacific oceans', Scientific Drilling, vol. 24, pp. 61-70pp.
- Meissner, K., Abram, N., Armand, L., Chase, Z., De Deckker, P., Ellwood, M., Exon, N., Gagan, M., Goodwin, I., Howard, W., Lough, J., McCulloch, M., McGregor, H., Moy, A., O’Leary, M., Phipps, S., Skilbeck, G., Webster, J., Welsh, K., Zinke, J. 2015, 'Dealing with Climate Change: Palaeoclimate Research in Australia', Quaternary Australasia, vol. 32, no. 1, pp. 19-24.
- Hill, P, Exon, N, Baillie, P et al 2014, 'Cretaceous-Cenozoic sedimentary basins of the Tasmanian continental margin', Geological Society of Australia Special Publication (now Australian Journal of Earth Science), vol. 24, pp. 416-437.
- Clarke, S, Hubble, T, Airey, D et al 2014, 'Morphology of Australia's eastern continental slope and related tsunami hazard', Advances in Natural and Technological Hazards Research, vol. 37, pp. 529-538.
- Gallagher, S, Exon, N, Seton, M et al 2014, 'Exploring new drilling prospects in the southwest Pacific', Scientific Drilling, vol. 17, pp. 45-50.
- Gallagher, S, Exon, N, Seton, M et al 2014, 'Exploring new drilling prospects in the southwest Pacific', Scientific Drilling, vol. 17, pp. 45-50.
- Exon, N, Gallagher, S & Seton, M 2013, 'Scientific drilling in the southwest pacific ocean', EOS Transactions, vol. 94, no. 10, pp. 1pp.
- Clarke, S, Hubble, T, Airey, D et al 2012, 'Submarine landslides on the upper Southeast Australian passive continental margin - preliminary findings', Submarine Mass Movements and Their Consequences 4th International Symposium, ed. D. Mosher, et al, Springer Science + Business Media, Dordrecht, Heidelberg, London, New York, pp. 55-66.
- Gallagher, S, Exon, N, Seton, M et al 2012, 'Detailed report on the Southwest Pacific IODP Workshop, Sydney Australia, October 9-11, 2012', Southwest Pacific IODP Workshop, ed. S. Gallagher, et al, Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Management International, online.
- Hubble, T, Yu, P, Airey, D et al 2012, 'Physical Properties and Age of Continental Slope Sediments Dredged from the Eastern Australian Continental Margin – Implications for Timing of Slope Failure', Submarine Mass Movements and Their Consequences 4th International Symposium, ed. D. Mosher, et al, Springer Science + Business Media, Dordrecht, Heidelberg, London, New York, pp. 43-54.
- Exon, N, Pandey, D & Gallagher, S 2012, 'Scientific drilling in the Indian Ocean', EOS Transactions, vol. 93, no. 7, p. 70.
- Gallagher, S, Exon, N, Pandey, D et al 2012, 'New frontiers in scientific drilling of the Indian Ocean', Scientific Drilling, vol. 14, no. 14, pp. 60-63.
- Exon, N, Pandey, D, Gallagher, S et al 2011, 'Detailed Report on Indian Ocean IODP Workshop Goa, India, October 17-18, 2011', Indian Ocean IODP Workshop, ed. N. Exon, et al, Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Management International, online.
- Boyd, R, Keene, J, Hubble, T et al 2010, 'Southeast Australia: A Cenozoic Continental Margin Dominated by Mass Transport', Submarine Mass Movements and Their Consequences 4th International Symposium, ed. D Mosher, R Shipp, L Moscardelli, J Chaytor, C Baxter, H Lee, R Urgeles, Springer Science + Business Media, USA, pp. 491-502.
- Smith, D, Exon, N, Barriga, F et al 2010, 'Ocean drilling: Forty years of international collaboration', EOS Transactions, vol. 91, no. 43, pp. 393-394.
- Exon, N 2010, 'Scientific drilling beneath the oceans solves earthly problems', Australian Journal of Maritime and Ocean Affairs, vol. 2, no. 2, pp. 37-47.
- R. Boyd, J. Keene, T. Hubble, J. Gardner, K. Glenn, K. Ruming, Neville Exon and the crews of Southern Surveyor 10/2006 and 12/2008, Southeast Australia, 2009: A Cenozoic Continental Margin Dominated by Mass Transport. Chapter 39 In D. Mosher et al. (eds.), 2009, Submarine Mass Movements and Their Consequences, Advances in Natural and Technological Hazards Research, Vol. 28, Springer Science + Business Media B.V. 2009, p. 483-495
- Hoffmann, K, Exon, N, Quilty, P et al 2008, 'Mellish Rise and adjacent deep water plateaus off northeast Australia: new evidence for continental basement from Cenozoic micropalaeontology and sedimentary geology', Petroleum Exploration Society of Australia Eastern Australasian Basins Symposium 2008, ed. Brian Wickins, Petroleum Exploration Society of Australia Limited, NSW, pp. 317 -323.
- Exon, N, Bernardel, G, Hoffmann, K et al 2008, 'Geology of the submarine Mellish Rise off Northeast Australia', Australian Earth Sciences Convention 2008, AESC, Geological Society of Australia, Sydney Australia.
- Exon, N, Sanchez, C, Fulthorpe, C et al 2008, 'Coring the Cenozonic sequences of the northern Carnarvon Basin of Australia to answer global eustatic questions', Australian Earth Sciences Convention 2008, AESC, Geological Society of Australia, Sydney Australia.
- Exon, N, Lafoy, Y, Hill, P et al 2007, 'Geology and petroleum potential of the Fairway Basin in the Tasman Sea', Australian Journal of Earth Sciences, vol. 54, no. 5, pp. 629-645.
- Exon, N, Hill, P, Lafoy, Y et al 2006, 'Kenn Plateau off northeast Australia: a continental fragment in the southwest Pacific jigsaw', Australian Journal of Earth Sciences, vol. 53, no. 4, pp. 541-564.
- Exon, N, Hill, P, Mitchell, C et al 2005, 'Nature and origin of the submarine Albany canyons off southwest Australia', Australian Journal of Earth Sciences, vol. 52, no. 1, pp. 101-115.
Projects and Grants
Grants information is drawn from ARIES. To add or update Projects or Grants information please contact your College Research Office.
- Australian Membership of the International Ocean Discovery Program (Secondary Investigator)
- Australian Membership of the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (Secondary Investigator)
