Scientists Decode , the Diverse Origins, of Earth's Mineral History.<br />Phys.org reports that a new study <br />details the origins and diversity<br /> of every known mineral on Earth.<br />The 15-year study was led by the <br />Carnegie Institution for Science. .<br />The landmark study will help <br />researchers trace the history <br />of life on the planet. .<br />Each mineral specimen has a history. <br />Each tells a story. Each is a time capsule <br />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.<br />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.<br />The team built a database that contains <br />every known process of formation <br />of every known mineral.<br />In total, the team identified 10,556 different combinations of minerals and modes of formation, otherwise referred to as 'mineral genesis.'.<br />This work fundamentally changes <br />our view of the diversity <br />of minerals on the planet, Dr. Hazen, Staff Scientist with the Earth and Planets Laboratory, Carnegie Institution for Science, via Phys.org.<br />The team's work is detailed in two papers <br />published July 1 in 'American Minerologist.'.<br />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
