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Mineral Genesis

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  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Geochemistry

Part of the book series: Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series ((EESS))

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Definition

Mineral genesis addresses the questions of where, why, and how minerals form and disappear, on and in the Earth (see also Crystal Growth).

The Crystalline Earth and Its Dynamics

Minerals, essentially as natural crystals, are the major constituents of the core, the mantle, and the crust of our planet. In the mantle, they form the viscous solid matter involved in slow convective movements which act as the force-transmitting medium for plate tectonics. As such, minerals undergo phase transitions, polymorphic transitions, and more generally nucleation, growth as well as resorption. This occurs in response to local and/or temporal changes in pressure/stress, temperature, and chemical composition. Internal heat production of the Earth is ultimately the cause of mineral dynamics. Most active and diverse kinetic phenomena of these kinds are expected to take place where temperature gradients and chemical gradients are prominent, i.e., in and on the crust.

Mineral growthin the...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, CINAM, Campus Luminy, Case 913, Marseille, 13288, Cedex 9, France

    Alain J. Baronnet

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  1. Alain J. Baronnet
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Correspondence to Alain J. Baronnet .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Earth, Cornell University Department of Earth, Ithaca, New York, USA

    William M. White

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Baronnet, A.J. (2018). Mineral Genesis. In: White, W. (eds) Encyclopedia of Geochemistry. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-39193-9_342-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-39193-9_342-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-39193-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-39193-9

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