Lawrence A. Taylor
ProfessorÂ
Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences
Tennessee State University
United States of America
Biography
Although originally starting as an economic geologist/experimental petrologist, the return of the first Apollo samples from the Moon played a major role in my research interests and funding. It was the mineralogy, petrology, and geochemistry of these unusual rocks from another world that excited us all. While being in the "back-room" at Johnson Space Center in December, 1972, during the Apollo 17 Mission, I was one of those who directly advised the astronauts on the Moon during their EVAs. I subsequently became good friends with Jack Schmitt, the only geologist to go to the Moon and the last person to step onto the Moon. He now often visits UT. These missions to the Moon were supposed to be but the beginning of human exploration of the Moon, but alas, having continuously studied lunar rocks and soils since the early times, with grateful aid from NASA, I consider myself a true "lunatic". More recently, my efforts have expanded into meteorites. The many new lunar and Martian meteorites being found in the Antarctic and equatorial hot deserts have provided renewed interest and excitement for these heavenly bodies.
Research Interest
Petrologist, Lunatic Meteoriticist, Petrologist
Publications
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Liu Y, Baziotis IP, Asimow PD, Bodnar RJ, Taylor LA. Mineral chemistry of the Tissint meteorite: Indications of twoâ€stage crystallization in a closed system. Meteoritics & Planetary Science. 2016 Dec 1;51(12):2293-315.
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Jean MM, Taylor LA, Howarth GH, Peslier AH, Fedele L, Bodnar RJ, Guan Y, Doucet LS, Ionov DA, Logvinova AM, Golovin AV. Olivine inclusions in Siberian diamonds and mantle xenoliths: Contrasting water and trace-element contents. Lithos. 2016 Nov 15;265:31-41.
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Howarth GH, Liu Y, Chen Y, Pernetâ€Fisher JF, Taylor LA. Postcrystallization metasomatism in shergottites: Evidence from the paired meteorites LAR 06319 and LAR 12011. Meteoritics & Planetary Science. 2016 Nov 1;51(11):2061-72.
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Pernet-Fisher JF, Day JM, Howarth GH, Ryabov VV, Taylor LA. Atmospheric outgassing and native-iron formation during carbonaceous sediment–basalt melt interactions. Earth and Planetary Science Letters. 2017 Feb 15;460:201-12.
