Stuart Ross Taylor (26 November 1925 – 23 May 2021) was a New Zealand

geochemist Geochemistry is the science that uses the tools and principles of chemistry to explain the mechanisms behind major geological systems such as the Earth's crust and its oceans. The realm of geochemistry extends beyond the Earth, encompassing the e ...

and

planetary scientist Planetary science (or more rarely, planetology) is the scientific study of planets (including Earth), celestial bodies (such as moons, asteroids, comets) and planetary systems (in particular those of the Solar System) and the processes of their ...

known for his studies of the

geology of the Moon The geology of the Moon (sometimes called selenology, although the latter term can refer more generally to " lunar science") is quite different from that of Earth. The Moon lacks a true atmosphere, which eliminates erosion due to weather. It does ...

through

lunar samples Lunar most commonly means "of or relating to the Moon". Lunar may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Lunar'' (series), a series of video games * "Lunar" (song), by David Guetta * "Lunar", a song by Priestess from the 2009 album ''Prior t ...

, the

continental crust Continental crust is the layer of igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks that forms the geological continents and the areas of shallow seabed close to their shores, known as continental shelves. This layer is sometimes called '' sial'' be ...

tektites Tektites (from grc, τηκτός , meaning 'molten') are gravel-sized bodies composed of black, green, brown or grey natural glass formed from terrestrial debris ejected during meteorite impacts. The term was coined by Austrian geologist Franz ...

and the

evolution of the Solar System The formation of the Solar System began about 4.6 billion years ago with the gravitational collapse of a small part of a giant molecular cloud. Most of the collapsing mass collected in the center, forming the Sun, while the rest flattened into ...

. He was an emeritus professor and Visiting Fellow at

the Australian National University The Australian National University (ANU) is a public research university located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton encompasses seven teaching and research colleges, in addition to several national academies and ...

in Canberra. He died in Canberra on 23 May 2021 at the age of 95.

Honours and awards

5670 Rosstaylor __NOTOC__ Year 567 ( DLXVII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 567 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar er ...

, a

main-belt asteroid The asteroid belt is a torus-shaped region in the Solar System, located roughly between the orbits of the planets Jupiter and Mars. It contains a great many solid, irregularly shaped bodies, of many sizes, but much smaller than planets, called ...

discovered in 1985. * Shoemaker Distinguished Lunar Scientist Award, 2012

References

1925 births 2021 deaths New Zealand geochemists Australian National University faculty People from Ashburton, New Zealand University of Canterbury alumni Indiana University alumni Honorary Companions of the Order of Australia Fellows of the Australian Academy of Science Foreign associates of the National Academy of Sciences New Zealand expatriates in Australia Recipients of the V. M. Goldschmidt Award {{geologist-stub

Honours and awards

Further reading

References