David Green has made major contributions to the petrogenesis of basaltic and related rocks and to the chemistry and mineralogy of their source regions in the upper mantle. In 1964, David first applied electron-microprobe analytical techniques to determine the compositions of crystals and liquids in complex ‘natural’ basaltic systems formed under controlled high-pressure and high-temperature laboratory conditions.

This development marked a watershed in petrology and has been followed by many other laboratories throughout the world. David has since extended this work to provide a comprehensive understanding of the origins of the entire family of basaltic magmas in terms of partial melting processes in the mantle and of the remarkable influence of water and carbon dioxide on these melting processes.

David has also demonstrated how these techniques can be used to solve important problems connected with the petrogenesis of metamorphic and ultramafic rocks. He has successfully combined the fields of natural and experimental petrology. Currently, David is Emeritus Professor at the University of Tasmania; he was previously Director, Research School of Earth Sciences, Australian National University.