All Minerals Considered

Graphite, a mineral made of carbon atoms arranged in layers, was long overlooked. Augusto Nobre explores how isolating these layers to create graphene sparked a wave of innovation, reviving interest in graphite across the geosciences.

Barite is a relatively heavy mineral that is used in both the medical field and the oil and gas industry. Formed in marine environments, it also provides a valuable record of deep geological time.

Sperrylite is a tiny and rare mineral. However, Hannah Hughes and colleagues explain why often-overlooked sperrylite and its diverse platinum-group mineral siblings are critical for the green energy transition.

Jadarite is a lithium-bearing mineral with the potential to facilitate the green energy transition. However, the route to form it is so specific that it is only known from one deposit on Earth, as Francesco Putzolu and colleagues explain.

Presolar moissanite grains are stellar fossils that act as messengers from the cosmos. Nan Liu explores the ways moissanite enables cosmochemists to investigate the origin and evolution of our Solar System and beyond.

Davemaoite is the least abundant of the lower mantle rock-forming minerals. Despite this, it is a maverick that exerts a big influence on geochemical cycling, as Oliver Tschauner explains.

Quasicrystals have structural properties intermediate between crystalline and amorphous materials. They can be synthesized in the lab but, as Luca Bindi explains, they may also be present in natural materials formed under extreme conditions.

Rhabdophane contains high concentrations of the rare earth elements, yet Tobias Bamforth argues that it remains underappreciated as a significant host of these critical metals.

Chemical, physical and biological forces all act to weather minerals. Rebecca Lybrand explores how mineral transformations are ubiquitous in the environment and in our daily lives.

Sphalerite is a trickster with the ability to incorporate a range of elements. Max Frenzel and Sam Thiele explain how sphalerite’s tricks can be used to explore ore-forming environments.

Gold has both economic and cultural significance to human societies but, as Liang Zhang and David Groves explain, we owe its presence in the Earth’s crust to repeating cycles of plate tectonics.

Olivine is stable and abundant in the Earth’s upper mantle, and its transformations may drive large earthquakes deeper in the mantle, as Tomohiro Ohuchi explains.

Clinopyroxene offers clues about the inner workings of volcanic systems, as Teresa Ubide explains. Its ability to track where and when magma is stored may also help forecast eruptions.

The formation of dolomite eluded mineralogists for years. Jennifer Roberts explains why ‘the dolomite problem’ matters, and how it may now be closer to resolution.

Simple silica exists in many forms on Earth, as Falko Langenhorst explains. Some of these polymorphs can shed light on the Earth’s violent past.

Hydrous minerals within the Earth affect volatile cycling and mantle geodynamics. Jun Tsuchiya explains how stable phases of these minerals are being uncovered at increasingly high pressures.

Burbankite is a rare sodium carbonate mineral that is easily dissolved away in its host igneous rocks. Its formation and dissolution can help concentrate rare earth elements that are vital for a low-carbon future, as Sam Broom-Fendley explains.

Schreibersite is found in meteorites and thought to dwell in planetary cores. Tingting Gu explains how it may also have supported life on the early Earth.

Nephrite jade is a semi-precious gemstone composed of tiny crystals and needles of amphibole. Here, Matthew Tarling and Steven Smith describe how its origins lead to inner toughness and beauty.

Magnetite is found throughout the Earth system and has many uses, explains Barbara Maher. It is a tracer of plate tectonic movements, a sub-cellular navigation aid and an economic resource, but also a pollutant.