Earth's mineral diversity 75% greater than previously thought - MINING.COM - MINING.com

Two papers published in American Mineralogist and sponsored in part by NASA help reconstruct the history of life on earth and guide the search for new minerals and ore deposits.

According to co-authors Robert Hazen and Shaunna Morrison, once mineral genesis is factored in, the number of mineral kinds — a newly-coined term — totals more than 10,500, a number about 75% greater… [+3760 chars]

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