Why the Earth’s Mineralogy is Unique

That the Earth is unique in our knowledge that it is the only planet with life on it is old news. Now new research at the Carnegie Institute says that the Earth is unique even in its mineralogy. That nowhere in the cosmos is there as much mineral diversity as there is on Earth. With more than fifteen hundred undiscovered minerals and nearly five thousand already known, the diversity of Earth’s minerals is unlikely to be duplicated anywhere in the solar system or even the universe.

Robert Hazen, team leader of the study developed a theory about a decade ago that the large number of minerals found on the planet correspond to the rise of life. That the minerals have been produced either as a direct consequence of biological activity, or have been indirectly influenced by it. Bacterial photosynthesis which increased oxygen concentration in our atmosphere  more than 2.4 billion years ago, has been a primary catalyst for this mineral diversity.

Needless to say, that if biological activity is related to mineral diversity, then a planet with no life is likely to have far less mineral diversity. This means that the scientific study postulates that in the absence of life, no other planet will have the same rich mineralogy as Earth.