33 Mineralogy/Crystallography, Petrology, and Geochemistry
Added due to amount of discipline submissions.
Tuesday, 10 March 2026
4:00 PM - 5:30 PM
RCC, 104
Mapping from the Blindspot: A Framework for Evaluating Lithologic Systems with Perception-limited Components
Paper number: 33-1
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 4:15 PM – 4:30 PM
Authors
Abstract
The early planetary history of the Earth is obscured by billions of years in time as well as numerous events which altered the morphology, geochemistry, biodiversity, and energetic environment of the near-surface zone. While methodologies of investigation vary widely, there are numerous parallel phenomena with similarly complex system histories and barriers to observation of some significance. Despite these limitations, modern qualitative data analysis tools allow the systematic evaluation of nonnumeric data generated by decades of field and laboratory observations in geology. In order to evaluate multimodal data in systems of disparate scale and composition, a model must allow evaluation of commonly held components across systems. This study presents a framework for characterizing complex systems based on behavior of the most mobile components relative to using a comparative case analysis of zinc, manganese, and hydrous phases in the development of the Earth-Moon system. It is expected from uniformitarian principle that natural systems of sufficient complexity will be governed by natural laws which should have discernible and consistent effects across system bounds and at multiple scales, much as Steno's principles may be applied in forensics or archaeology. Mobile components in a complex system occupy a partial blindspot; while their mobility may make their presence ubiquitous in many environmental settings, they also travel through reservoirs in which their residence time may be limited or extended depending on the permeability of the energetic constraints of the system. The mobility of transition metals relative to structural boundaries is evaluated in a complex systems framework.
Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 58, No. 1
doi: 10.1130/abs/2026SE-411904
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