This is the story of how minerals
formed in our universe, which began
over 13 billion years ago with a burst of
energy, then a cooling, then gravity
takes over and we get stars. Stars are
the beginning of our story of how the
elements formed. Elements are the
chemical composition of minerals.
Supernova explosion
At more than 3 billion years old, this formation is one of the oldest rocks on the planet. /
Now comes the surprise. About 3.5 billion years ago, here on our planet, life began. No one knows how, people argue about why, but one would think the presence of life would be
But life is a great sculptor. One very early form of pond scum figured out how to exhale oxygen into the air, and soon (well, not THAT soon, but soon enough) our atmosphere had e
Eventually a few of those stars blew up — that's how some stars die — and
in a blaze of intense heat, we got the first 12 or so minerals: atoms formed
by starbursts known as supernovas. Carbon, nitrogen, silicon, iron all came
from the stars. The universe's original minerals include diamonds, as in
“Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds”… teeny bits of diamond dust floating in
deep space.
Then gravity kept pulling the stardust together, forming asteroids. Those
asteroids collided, and baby planets formed, then bigger planets, then
planets with volcanoes and planets with plate tectonics that pull rocks on
the surface down under, melting them, and freezing them. Then water
appeared and trillions of drips later, rocks had water molecules locked up
inside them. Approximately 10 billion years after the planet’s formation, all
the minerals had evolved. The number grew from the original 12 to over
1,500 different types of minerals.
Over 4.5 billion years later, our planet is filled with rocks (3 different types);
with many different colors and structures. It is part of what makes our
world so beautiful. Our planet is the third “rock” from the Sun.
What the bits and pieces of a star might look like after a supernova.
At more than 3 billion years old, this formation is one of the oldest rocks on the planet./
Now comes the surprise. About 3.5 billion years ago, here on our planet, life began. No one knows how, people argue about why, but one would think the presence of life would be
But life is a great sculptor. One very early form of pond scum figured out how to exhale oxygen into the air, and soon (well, not THAT soon, but soon enough) our atmosphere had e
At more than 3 billion years old, this formation is one of the oldest rocks on the planet.
The below image is a “banded iron formation”. This type of rock is found on the ocean
floor, where life first began.
At more than 3 billion years old, this formation is one of the oldest rocks on the planet.
Now comes the surprise. About 3.5 billion years ago, here on our planet, life began. Soon
after, our atmosphere had enough oxygen to create rust, to combine with organic
chemicals to make creatures with seashells and bones and those creatures died and
became rocks. What is sea coral but a clump of dead skeletons? Coral forms rocks. Look
at the White Cliffs of Dover in England — that's a whole lot of dead seashells.
The famous White Cliffs of Dover (England)
These cliffs are made of chalk.
Chalk is formed from the compaction and cementation of microscopic seashells.
Life is so unique. It created plants with roots that can rip rocks apart (slowly, but
gradually that's what they do) and worms that can ingest rocks and break them into
soil. That is called weathering. So let's step back and ask, how many new minerals
have been created by living things on Earth? Remember we started with 1,500
minerals before life. After life, the number jumps to over 4,500. Life creates rocks!
Whoa!
We all know that living things need minerals. When you eat a raisin, you are putting
iron in your blood. We drink milk to put calcium in our bones. So we need minerals.
What most people don’t know is that minerals, in some sense, need us. The presence
of life on Earth increased the number of rocks on Earth.
The Himalaya mountain
range began taking shape
around 60 million years
ago. Home to the world's
highest peaks, including
Mount Everest, these
mountains are made from
deep water marine shale
consisting of gneiss, slate
and sand stone.
Called "Crazy Lace", this agate rock found in Mexico has the mineral quartz infused
with iron and aluminum.
The "Wave," found in Arizona, is a small ravine of eroding sandstone rock domes.
In the middle of Egypt's White Desert, stand massive chalk rock structures
created by sandstorms.
Stalagmites and stalactites found in Virginia's Luray limestone caverns formed millions
of years ago. Stalactites hang down from the ceiling of the cave; stalagmites stick up
from the floor of the cave.