Regents Professor Emeritus Peter Buseck

Buseck Center for Meteorite Studies namesake, Professor Peter Buseck is renowned for his pioneering use of high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) in the study of study meteorites and mineral structures. His analyses of crystals lattices and defects at the atomic scale transformed our understanding of solid-state geochemistry and cosmochemistry. For over 60 years (1963-2023), he served as an active member of the ASU faculty. As Professor Emeritus, he continues to champion meteoritics research in both professional and public forums. His research contributions span diverse meteorite types, addressing the mineralogy and geochemical evolution of carbonaceous chondrites, enstatite chondrites, and pallasites, as a means of deciphering early solar system processes.

• Magnetite whiskers and platelets in ALH84001
  • Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 2001
  • DOI: 10.1016/S0016-7037(01)00707-2
  • Contribution: Investigated magnetite morphologies in Martian meteorite ALH84001, relevant to biosignature debates.
• Fullerenes from the geological environment
  • Science, 1992
  • DOI: 10.1126/science.257.5067.1392
  • Contribution: First report of naturally occurring fullerenes (C₆₀, C₇₀) in meteorites and shungite.
• Presolar graphite in meteorites
  • Nature, 1990
  • DOI: 10.1038/345416a0
  • Contribution: Identified isotopically anomalous graphite grains, tracing stellar nucleosynthesis.
• High-resolution transmission electron microscopy of minerals and meteorites
  • Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences, 1988
  • DOI: 10.1146/annurev.ea.16.050188.001045
  • Contribution: Established HRTEM as a tool for atomic-scale mineral analysis in meteoritics.
• Fe-Mg lattice diffusion in olivine
  • Journal of Geophysical Research, 1973
  • DOI: 10.1029/JB078i005p08592
  • Contribution: Provided key diffusion coefficients used in modeling thermal histories of meteorites.