Minerals are geologic time capsules of the environments in which they form. With the right approach, their mysteries can be cracked open to reveal key features of the ancient Earth or other planets.

Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Robert Hazen was attending a Christmas party, one December night in ...

Geology reference texts define mineral species based on chemical composition and crystal structure. But mineral samples collected in the field often contain trace elements and structural defects that ...

“Early in my career, as I studied at the China University of Geosciences in Wuhan, I wanted to discover where and how minerals formed. Now, I develop geochemical tools to explore how minerals form in ...

The impact of Earth’s geology on life is easy to see, with organisms adapting to environments as different as deserts, mountains, forests, and oceans. The full impact of life on geology, however, can ...

If every mineral tells a story, then geologists now have their equivalent of The Arabian Nights. For the first time, scientists have cataloged every different way that every known mineral can form and ...

Discover how rocks, minerals & the rock cycle change your world. Join the Science Trek team to explore rocks and minerals! Discover how the Earth formed, the three types of rocks, the rock cycle, and ...

Water molecules line up tiny particles to attach and form minerals; understanding how this happens impacts energy extraction and storage along with waste disposal. Large crystals growing in water ...

Amethyst geodes—some stretching 5 m long—dot the ancient lava flows of Uruguay’s Los Catalanes mining area. The geodes contain calcite, colorless quartz, and agate, another quartz mineral. Large ...

A bright fireball streaked across the sky above mountains, glaciers and spruce forest near the town of Revelstoke in British Columbia, Canada, on the evening of March 31, 1965. Fragments of this ...

Two minerals never seen on Earth before were discovered in a gigantic meteorite weighing 16.5 tons, offering researchers possible clues about how the space rocks are formed. The new minerals were ...