Documenting the Co-Evolution of Earth and Life: A Mineral Evolution Approach

Evidence for the co-evolution of Earth and life is abundantly preserved in the minerals, which are the oldest objects you can hold in your hand. Each information-rich specimen is a time capsule waiting to be opened and to tell the stories of Earth and other worlds. The emerging field of “mineral evolution” considers changes in the diversity and distribution of minerals through billions of years of planetary history [1-5], and reveals dramatic episodes of the co-evolution of minerals and life, including stages of life's origins, microbial biomineralization, influences of global oxygenation, and the rise of the terrestrial biosphere. 

Traditional approaches to classifying minerals ignore this history. The International Mineralogical Association (IMA) has catalogued >6000 mineral species, each with a unique combination of idealized chemical composition and crystal structure. This essential scheme allows the confident identification of different condensed crystalline building blocks of planets and moons. However, lacking perspectives of time and process, this system is limited in its ability to address the evolution of planets, much less the co-evolution of the geosphere and biosphere.

We have introduced, and are now completing, a new complementary approach to mineral classification called the “evolutionary system of mineralogy.” Our system differs from IMA's in three ways. First, it splits IMA species that form in more than one way; for example, pyrite forms by both abiotic and microbial processes. Second, it lumps IMA species that form continuous solid solutions through the same process; i.e., we lump many different species of the tourmaline group into a single kind. Third, we include varied amorphous or poorly crystalline solids, such as obsidian, kerogen, and limonite, which are important in crustal processes and were included in mineral inventories before the application of x-ray diffraction.

The resulting evolutionary system of mineralogy is being released in 12 parts, 8 of which are now published or in press [6-13]. These works underscore the close connections between mineral and biological evolution. We find that while minerals played key roles in life’s origins and evolution, life changed near-surface environments in ways that led to the formation of approximately half of all known mineral species, most of which are only known to form through biological mediation.

References: 1. Hazen R.M. et al. (2008) Am.Min., 93, 1693-1720; 2. Hazen R. & Morrison S. (2022) Am.Min., 107, 1262-1287; 3. Hazen, R. et al. (2023) In: Bindi and Cruciani [Eds.], Celebrating the International Year of Mineralogy. NY: Springer, pp.15-37; 4. Hazen R. et al. (2023) JGR Planets, 128, e2023JE007865; 5. Hazen R. et al. (2022) Am.Min., 107, 1288-1301; 6. Hazen R. (2019) Am.Min., 104, 468-470; 7. Hazen R. & Morrison S. (2020) Min., 105, 627-651; 8. Morrison S. & Hazen R. (2020) Am.Min., 105, 1508-1535; 9. Hazen R. et al. (2021) Am.Min., 106, 325-350; 10. Morrison S. & Hazen R. (2021) Am.Min., 106, 730-761; 11. Hazen R. & Morrison S. (2021) Am.Min., 106, 1388-1419; 12. Morison S. et al. (2023) Am.Min., 108, 42-58; 13. Hazen R. et al. (2023) Am.Min., 108, 1620-1641; 14. Morrison et al. (2024) Am.Min., 109, in press.