Mineral evolution
Chronology

Mineral evolution

Section Title: Chronology
Table Section Text: None

Era/stage	Age (Ga)	Cumulative no. of species

Prenebular "Ur-minerals"	>4.6	12

Era of planetary accretion (>4.55 Ga)

1. Sun ignites, heating nebula	>4.56	60

2. Planetesimals form	>4.56–4.55	250

Era of crust and mantle reworking (4.55–2.5 Ga)

3. Igneous rock evolution	4.55–4.0	350–420

4. Granitoid and pegmatite formation	4.0–3.5	1000

5. Plate tectonics	>3.0	1500

Era of biologically mediated mineralogy (2.5 Ga – present)

6. Anoxic biological world	3.9–2.5	1500

7. Great Oxidation Event	2.5–1.9	>4000

8. Intermediate ocean	1.85–0.85	>4000

9. Snowball Earth events	0.85–0.542	>4000

10. Phanerozoic era of biomineralization	<0.542	>5413

Sentence(s)

In mineral evolution, there are over 5413 mineral species.

final_sentence: In mineral evolution, there are over 5413 mineral species.