Lovering Collection

John Lovering was Vice-Chancellor and Professor of Geology at Flinders University from 1987 to 1995. 

He graduated with a BSc (Hons) from UNSW, worked as an assistant curator of Mineralogy and Petrology at the Australian Museum, and completed an MSc at the University of Sydney. John Lovering worked and studied at Caltech (taught by Richard Feynman) and completed his PhD there. After returning to Australia, he was a Research Fellow, Fellow, then Senior Fellow in Geophysics and Geochemistry at ANU. In 1969 he became Professor of Geology at the University of Melbourne, the same year he covered the live broadcasts on ABC TV of the first men on the moon. In 1975 he also became the Head of the School of Earth Sciences at the University of Melbourne. During this time there, he also served as Dean of the Faculty of Science and from 1985 to 1987 Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research).

Research interests

Mineralogy and Petrology (Rocks)

• Analysis of rocks brought down from the moon
• Involved in Apollo launches (1969 to 1975)
• Naming of ‘Tranquillityite’ (1971)

Meteorites

Fission track dating methods (Radioactive dating) (1975)

• Geophysics and geochemistry (Continental drift) (1978)

Geology and Earth Sciences (Science Education)

Antarctica

• Last of lands, Antarctica by J.F. Lovering and J.R.V. Prescott. (1979)
• Member of the Australian Antarctic Research Expeditions in 1978 and 1987

The extent of the Collection on the shelves is 9 metres of archival files and some article offprints, plus 8 metres of books. Most of it is yet to be catalogued. For further information about this collection, please contact Special Collections.

General Special Collections conditions of access apply.