Mineralogical evolution, origin planets

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

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. 

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