Mineralogical evolution, origin

James H. L. (1992) Precambrian iron-formations nature, origin, and mineralogical evolution from sedimentation to metamorphism. In Diagenesis III Developments in Sedimentology (eds. K. H. Wolf and G. V. Chilingaiian). Elsevier, Amsterdam, pp. 543-589. 

Takeda, H. (1987) Mineralogy of Antarctic ureilites and a working hypothesis for their origin and evolution. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 81, 358-370. 

Much of the chemical, mineralogical, and isotopic data on which our ideas of the evolution of Earth s surface environment are based come from analysis of sedimentary carbonates. Unfortunately because of the increased susceptibility of the sedimentary carbonate mass to alteration and destruction by the processes of weathering, subduction, and metamorphism, much original information is lost from the rock record with increasing age of the carbonate mass. We are left with a biased record of the preserved sedimentary carbonate rock mass. The Precambrian Eon, which includes more than 85% of Earth history, contains only about 25% of the mass of sedimentary carbonates in existence ... 

Pinti D. L. and Marty B. (2000) Noble gases in oil and gas flelds origins and processes. In Fluids and Basin Evolution (ed. K. Kyser). Mineralogical Association of Canada. Short Course Handbook, Toronto, vol. 28, pp. 160-196. 

Life is perhaps the most dramatic example of chemical complexification, but the evolution of the mineral world represents an important precursor to life s origins. Earth today boasts almost 4300 known types of minerals, with as many as 50 new species recognized each year. Yet the mineralogical diversity now found at or near Earth s surface (< 3 km) was not present for much of the planet s history. Indeed, both the variety and relative abundances of near-surface minerals have evolved dramatically over 4.5 billion years of Earth history through a variety of physical, chemical and biological processes. 

The last billion years have witnessed a particularly dramatic increase in mineralogical diversity, primarily as a consequence of atmospheric oxygenation. To understand this Neoproterozoic and Phanerozoic acceleration in mineral evolution we must thus address another emergent chemical event - the origin of life. 

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