Lal, who was a visiting faculty at the Scripps Institute of Oceanography in the University of California, breathed his last in his house on December one, according to the institute's website.
Born on February 14, 1929, Lal joined the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) at the age of 20 and worked in the area of cosmic rays under the supervision of H J Taylor and B Peters.
He assumed the charge of the Director, Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad in 1972 and retired from there in 1983.
Lal's early work was in fields of composition and energy spectrum of primary cosmic radiation, and elementary particle physics.
Subsequently, he initiated a major programme on studies of cosmogenic radionuclides, with emphasis on their production rate calculations and their applications to learn about nature and rates of physical and biogeochemical processes occurring in major earth surface reservoirs.
His contributions included the setting up a national radiocarbon laboratory at TIFR to facilitate chronological studies of Indian archaeological sites going back to the Harappan era.
He had also set up a Tritium Laboratory at TIFR, which was later moved to National Geophysical Research Institute, Hyderabad.
Lal was a recipient of the prestigious Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar award in 1967 and was conferred with Padma Shri in 1971.
