Statistical analysis of mineral diversity and distribution: Earth's mineralogy is unique

Grethe Hystad; Robert T. Downs; Edward S. Grew; Robert M. Hazen

doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2015.06.028

Statistical analysis of mineral diversity and distribution: Earth's mineralogy is unique

Grethe Hystad, Robert T. Downs, Edward S. Grew, Robert M. Hazen

Geosciences

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

42 Scopus citations

Abstract

Earth's mineralogical diversity arises from both deterministic processes and frozen accidents. We apply statistical methods and comprehensive mineralogical databases to investigate chance versus necessity in mineral diversity-distribution relationships. Hundreds of mineral species, including most common rock-forming minerals, distinguish an "Earth-like" planet from other terrestrial bodies. However, most of Earth's ~5000 mineral species are rare, known from only a few localities. We demonstrate that, in spite of deterministic physical, chemical, and biological factors that control most of our planet's mineral diversity, Earth's mineralogy is unique in the cosmos.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	154-157
Number of pages	4
Journal	Earth and Planetary Science Letters
Volume	426
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2015.06.028
State	Published - Sep 5 2015

Keywords

Chance versus necessity
Earth-like planets
Mineral ecology
Mineral evolution
Philosophy of mineralogy

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Geophysics
Geochemistry and Petrology
Earth and Planetary Sciences (miscellaneous)
Space and Planetary Science

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10.1016/j.epsl.2015.06.028

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title = "Statistical analysis of mineral diversity and distribution: Earth's mineralogy is unique",

abstract = "Earth's mineralogical diversity arises from both deterministic processes and frozen accidents. We apply statistical methods and comprehensive mineralogical databases to investigate chance versus necessity in mineral diversity-distribution relationships. Hundreds of mineral species, including most common rock-forming minerals, distinguish an {"}Earth-like{"} planet from other terrestrial bodies. However, most of Earth's ~5000 mineral species are rare, known from only a few localities. We demonstrate that, in spite of deterministic physical, chemical, and biological factors that control most of our planet's mineral diversity, Earth's mineralogy is unique in the cosmos.",

keywords = "Chance versus necessity, Earth-like planets, Mineral ecology, Mineral evolution, Philosophy of mineralogy",

author = "Grethe Hystad and Downs, {Robert T.} and Grew, {Edward S.} and Hazen, {Robert M.}",

note = "Funding Information: We thank Paul Falkowski, Lisa Kaltenegger, Andrew Knoll, John Nance, Matthew Scott, and Dimitri Sverjensky for helpful discussions and suggestions, and two anonymous reviewers for thoughtful comments. We gratefully acknowledge support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation (grant number 2013-10-01 ), the W.M. Keck Foundation (grant number 140002372 ), the Deep Carbon Observatory, the Carnegie Institution of Washington , and an anonymous private Foundation. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2015 Elsevier B.V.",

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doi = "10.1016/j.epsl.2015.06.028",

language = "English (US)",

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T2 - Earth's mineralogy is unique

AU - Hystad, Grethe

AU - Downs, Robert T.

AU - Grew, Edward S.

AU - Hazen, Robert M.

N1 - Funding Information: We thank Paul Falkowski, Lisa Kaltenegger, Andrew Knoll, John Nance, Matthew Scott, and Dimitri Sverjensky for helpful discussions and suggestions, and two anonymous reviewers for thoughtful comments. We gratefully acknowledge support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation (grant number 2013-10-01 ), the W.M. Keck Foundation (grant number 140002372 ), the Deep Carbon Observatory, the Carnegie Institution of Washington , and an anonymous private Foundation. Publisher Copyright: © 2015 Elsevier B.V.

PY - 2015/9/5

Y1 - 2015/9/5

N2 - Earth's mineralogical diversity arises from both deterministic processes and frozen accidents. We apply statistical methods and comprehensive mineralogical databases to investigate chance versus necessity in mineral diversity-distribution relationships. Hundreds of mineral species, including most common rock-forming minerals, distinguish an "Earth-like" planet from other terrestrial bodies. However, most of Earth's ~5000 mineral species are rare, known from only a few localities. We demonstrate that, in spite of deterministic physical, chemical, and biological factors that control most of our planet's mineral diversity, Earth's mineralogy is unique in the cosmos.

AB - Earth's mineralogical diversity arises from both deterministic processes and frozen accidents. We apply statistical methods and comprehensive mineralogical databases to investigate chance versus necessity in mineral diversity-distribution relationships. Hundreds of mineral species, including most common rock-forming minerals, distinguish an "Earth-like" planet from other terrestrial bodies. However, most of Earth's ~5000 mineral species are rare, known from only a few localities. We demonstrate that, in spite of deterministic physical, chemical, and biological factors that control most of our planet's mineral diversity, Earth's mineralogy is unique in the cosmos.

KW - Chance versus necessity

KW - Earth-like planets

KW - Mineral ecology

KW - Mineral evolution

KW - Philosophy of mineralogy

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DO - 10.1016/j.epsl.2015.06.028

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SP - 154

EP - 157

JO - Earth and Planetary Science Letters

JF - Earth and Planetary Science Letters

ER -

Statistical analysis of mineral diversity and distribution: Earth's mineralogy is unique

Abstract

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

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