T10 Mineral Evolution and Ecology: Potential Directions for the Next 100 Years with the Mineralogical Society of America

Sunday, 4 November 2018
8:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Room 233

ADVANCED ANALYTICAL AND VISUALIZATION TECHNIQUES APPLIED TO MINERAL EVOLUTION AND ECOLOGY

Paper number: T10-6
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 9:15 AM – 9:35 AM

Authors

Abstract

Recent years have seen an increase in the volume of mineralogical and geochemical data available for study. These expanding data resources have created an opportunity to characterize changes in near-surface mineralogy through deep time and to relate these findings to the geologic and biologic evolution of our planet [1-2]. Using databases such as the RRUFF Project, the Mineral Evolution Database (MED), mindat, and EarthChem, we explore the spatial and temporal distribution of minerals on Earth’s surface while considering the multidimensional relationships between composition, oxidation state, structural complexity [3], and paragenetic mode.

These studies, driven by advanced analytical and visualization techniques such as mineral ecology [4-5], network analysis [6], and affinity analysis, allow us to begin tackling big questions in Earth, planetary, and biosciences. These questions relate to understanding the relationships of mineral formation and preservation with large-scale geologic processes, such as Wilson cycles, the oxidation of Earth’s atmosphere, and changes in ocean chemistry. We can also investigate the abundance and likely species of as-yet undiscovered mineral, as well as estimate the probability of finding a mineral or mineral assemblage at any locality on Earth or another planetary body. Given the spatial and temporal distribution of minerals on Earth, which was heavily influenced by life, we can explore the possibility that Earth’s mineral diversity and distribution is a biosignature that can be used for future planetary evaluation and exploration. These geologic resources also facilitate integration across disciplines and allow us to explore ideas that one field alone cannot fully characterize, such as how the geochemical makeup of our planet affected the emergence and evolution of life, and, likewise, how life influenced chemical composition and geological processes throughout Earth history.

[1] Hazen et al. (2008) Am. Mineral. 93, 1693-1720

[2] Liu et al. (2017) Nat. Comm., 8:1950

[3] Krivovichev et al. (2013) Min. Mag. 77(3), 275-326.

[4] Hazen et al. (2015) Can. Min. 53(2):295-324

[5] Hystad et al. (2018) Bayesian estimation of Earth’s undiscovered mineralogical diversity, Mathematical Geosciences (Submitted)

[6] Morrison et al. (2017) Am. Mineral., 102, 1588-1596.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 50, No. 6

doi: 10.1130/abs/2018AM-323918

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