Part 1/7:
The Concept of Mineral Evolution and Its Broader Implications
Introduction: Connecting Mineralogy and Earth's History
A thought-provoking question from a colleague sparked a fascinating idea: Was mineral X present at a particular time Y in Earth's history? This inquiry led to the concept of mineral evolution, an emerging framework that tracks how mineral diversity has changed over geological time. By mapping minerals onto a chronological scale, scientists can observe how mineral diversity has increased from the planet's earliest formation to the present day.