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Historical Records of Australian Science Historical Records of Australian Science Society
The history of science, pure and applied, in Australia, New Zealand and the southwest Pacific
EDITORIAL (Open Access)

David Headley Green 1936–2024

A. Lynton Jaques https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6641-6514 A * , Gregory M. Yaxley A and Simon L. Harley https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1903-939X B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Research School of Earth Sciences, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia.

B School of Geosciences, University of Edinburgh, James Hutton Road, Edinburgh, EH9 3FE, UK.

* Correspondence to: lynton.jaques@anu.edu.au

Historical Records of Australian Science 36, HR25006 https://doi.org/10.1071/HR25006
Published online: 8 May 2025

© 2025 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing on behalf of the Australian Academy of Science. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND)

Abstract

David Headley Green AM, FAA, FRS was an outstanding Australian geologist and world leader in experimental petrology and geochemistry. His research, initially at the Australian National University with A. E. Ringwood, and later at the University of Tasmania, shaped our understanding of the composition of the Earth’s mantle and the origin of the wide spectrum of volcanic rocks erupted in different global tectonic settings. David also had a significant impact on Antarctic science through studies of high-grade metamorphic rocks, but more broadly in fostering marine and climate science by championing the establishment at the University of Tasmania of a multidisciplinary research centre (now the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies). His achievements and scientific leadership were recognised with many international and national awards, including membership of the Order of Australia. A considerate and compassionate man, David is also remembered for his interest in and care for others.

Keywords: Antarctica, basalt, experimental petrology, geochemistry, granulite, high temperature metamorphism, magma, mantle, peridotite, thermobarometry, volatiles (CO2-H2O).

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