Scientists Decode , the Diverse Origins, of Earth's Mineral History.
Phys.org reports that a new study
details the origins and diversity
of every known mineral on Earth.
The 15-year study was led by the
Carnegie Institution for Science. .
The landmark study will help
researchers trace the history
of life on the planet. .
Each mineral specimen has a history.
Each tells a story. Each is a time capsule
that reveals Earth's past as nothing else can, Dr. Hazen, Staff Scientist with the Earth and Planets Laboratory, Carnegie Institution for Science, via Phys.org.
According to Phys.org, the study will also help predict the possible characteristics of life in the future and help in the search for habitable planets.
The team built a database that contains
every known process of formation
of every known mineral.
In total, the team identified 10,556 different combinations of minerals and modes of formation, otherwise referred to as 'mineral genesis.'.
This work fundamentally changes
our view of the diversity
of minerals on the planet, Dr. Hazen, Staff Scientist with the Earth and Planets Laboratory, Carnegie Institution for Science, via Phys.org.
The team's work is detailed in two papers
published July 1 in 'American Minerologist.'.
In these twin papers, we are putting forward our best effort to lay the groundwork for a new approach to recognizing different kinds of minerals, Dr. Hazen, Staff Scientist with the Earth and Planets Laboratory, Carnegie Institution for Science, via Phys.org