As the first of its kind globally, AusMAP will place Australia at the leading edge of micro-scale research, aiming to transform how scientists approach major questions in archaeology, palaeontology, and the geosciences.
The facility is being established with substantial funding from the Australian Research Council's 2025 Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities scheme.
Associate Professor Mike Morley, Lead Chief Investigator and geoarchaeologist at Flinders University, emphasized that the scope of studying the past is rapidly evolving. "With huge advances in technological capability, both in the field and the laboratory, the most significant transformations are occurring at the smallest scales of analysis; in the micro realm," said Associate Professor Morley, who founded the Flinders Microarchaeology Laboratory in 2020.
"We are continuing to drill down into new layers of understanding our past and as each of these advances are made, the techniques required to analyse and contextualise the data are becoming increasingly vital," he added.
AusMAP will set a new benchmark, positioning Australia as a leader in micro-scale analysis, which is expected to become integral to future studies in archaeological, palaeontological, and Earth sciences.
The AusMAP Facility will serve research needs in Australia, Southeast Asia, the South Pacific, and beyond. It will enable cutting-edge analysis of cultural artifacts, fossils, and environmental samples at microscopic scales, combining micro-scale recording with advanced analytical tools to offer unprecedented examination of artefacts, fossils, ecofacts, rocks, and minerals.
Associate Professor Morley highlighted ongoing research, saying, "Microarchaeology is already being used by our team in groundbreaking research, from the extinction of the largest ever primate, Gigantopithecus blacki, to understanding the chemical environments that can preserve rock art, as well as reconstructing the environments of the earliest Homo sapiens in Southeast Asia."
He noted that the AusMAP's sophisticated technology will significantly boost current capabilities. "This is a significant milestone in our quest to understand the past at a microscopic level. This facility will enable us to uncover details that were previously beyond our reach, providing unprecedented insights into human history and environmental changes."
The AusMAP project, funded by the Australian Research Council's Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities scheme for 2025, will be managed by Flinders University with participation from Chief Investigators including Associate Professor Mike Morley, Professor Amy Roberts, Professor Gavin Prideaux, and Dr. Diana Fusco. Project partners include the University of Sydney, University of Adelaide, Griffith University, Lantern Heritage Pty Ltd, La Trobe University, University of Toronto Scarborough, University of Melbourne, Silpakorn University, and the National University of Malaysia.
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