How many minerals does Earth have?
[MUSIC]
The American Museum of Natural History logo appears over a rotating model of the planet Earth in a starry sky.
NARRATOR: On Earth, there are over five thousand different kinds of minerals.
The camera flies into the Earth and mineral grains fill the screen. Text appears: “Over 5,000 minerals on Earth.”
NARRATOR: Scientists estimate that’s 10-times more mineral species than anywhere else in our solar system.
Text appears: “10x”
NARRATOR: One reason for Earth’s amazing mineral diversity? Life.
The screen fills with circles containing video of different animals and plants on Earth, including humans.
NARRATOR: That’s right—you’re a part of this story! But let’s start at the beginning. Minerals are naturally occurring crystals made of elements.
An image of ice cubes, a yellow diamond-shaped mineral and a clear white crystal appear on screen. Text below reads, in order: “Ice, H2O”, “Calcite, CaCO3”, “Quartz, SiO2“. The pictures of the minerals are replaced with 3D models of different molecules, which fly into a big blue celestial gas cloud.
NARRATOR: Elements were created early in the universe, as the very first generation of stars died in massive supernova explosions.
Light flashes in the gas cloud with a soft [BOOM].
NARRATOR: Shock waves from these exploding stars hit gas clouds, fusing the new elements into tiny mineral crystals, including diamonds.
A spinning diamond shape appears on screen, with text that reads “Diamond”.
NARRATOR: About 12 mineral species arose, seeding the universe with microscopic mineral grains we call cosmic dust.
The diamond shape scales down to join 11 other shapes around a circle that reads “Early Universe”. Below the circle, text reads “Minerals: 12 (ish).” The other shapes around the main circle have text that reads “Graphite,” “Moissanite,” “Khamrabaevite,” “Nierite,”Corundum,” “Spinel,” “Hibonite”, “Titanium oxide,” “Olivine,” and “Pyroxene.” The entire graphic shrinks and disappears into a 3D model of the early solar system formation, with swirling orange lines around a bright star center.
NARRATOR: Fast forward to when our solar system formed around 4.6 billion years ago. Our Sun’s explosive birth and the churning cauldron of planet formation led to the creation of about 250 new mineral species.
Text appears: “Our solar system. Minerals: 250 (ish)” We zoom into a section of the solar system cloud and see a rocky red planet. Text reads: “Young Earth”
NARRATOR: On young Earth, mineral evolution got turbocharged.
Text appears: “Minerals 1,000 (ish)”. The rocky exterior of the planet peels away to reveal a red core and yellow churning mantle, which are both labeled with text.
NARRATOR: As our dynamic planet evolved, molten rock rose to the surface,
A volcano spews red-hot magma.
NARRATOR: and rare elements became concentrated. As the magma cooled, new kinds of minerals crystallized.
Lava cools into black and gray rippling rock.
NARRATOR: Once cool, Earth’s crust began to shift and break apart.
Drone footage of a mountain formation.
NARRATOR: Giant plates collided and bent. The enormous pressure enabled even more mineral species to form.
Text appears: “Dynamic crust. Minerals: 1,500 (ish).” Drone footage flying over waves crashing on a rocky seashore.
NARRATOR: Mineral evolution continued as the presence of water,
Rain splashes on the ground.
NARRATOR: and the process of weathering, triggered the formation of hundreds of new mineral species.
Images of Mars, the Moon, and Saturn appear on screen.
NARRATOR: Many of these geologic conditions exist, or once existed, on other planets and moons in our solar system.
The images of the other planets and moons disappear and are replaced by a rotating Earth facing the Sun.
NARRATOR: But one factor sets Earth apart: Life.
Green chains of cells appear on screen with the text “Life emerges.”
NARRATOR: Over three and a half-billion years ago, the first life on Earth emerged in the ocean.
Bumpy rocks called stromatolites appear in water under a yellow sky and sun.
NARRATOR: Single-celled life evolved, using sunlight to grow and releasing oxygen into the air.
Blue bubbles filled with “O2” rise up from the rocks into the sky, turning it blue.
NARRATOR: Over many millions of years, oxygen built up in our atmosphere. Oxygen triggered chemical reactions,
A rock with thick colorful lines turns from black and white to bright red and black. Text appears: “Great Oxygenation. Minerals: 4,000 (ish)” The red-and-black rock zooms out to be in the center of the screen.
NARRATOR: giving rise to thousands of additional mineral species, like hematite, one of the first oxidized minerals.
An underwater scene with ammonites of different shapes, and squids, swimming amongst seaweed.
NARRATOR: Oxygen also enabled more varieties of ocean life to flourish, including animals, which evolved to produce their own minerals, biominerals, found in shells, skeletons, and teeth.
The scene fades and images of a nautilus shell, pleisiosaur skeleton, and shark jaw appear. The shells dissolve into a layer of sand in a sandstone-like rock.
NARRATOR: Thick layers of shells fossilized, forming sedimentary minerals.
The rock dissolves into soil, where small plant shoots start to emerge.
NARRATOR: Mineral fragments formed the soil, allowing plants to take hold, and animals to thrive, on land.
Text reads: “Complex minerals. Minerals: 5,000 (ish).” Everything fades and the screen fills with tiny confetti-like mineral shards.
NARRATOR: In short, life on Earth led to a diversification of minerals—
Circles containing video of different animals and plants fill the screen.
NARRATOR: which in turn led to a diversification of life. This didn’t happen on any other planet or moon in our solar system, as far as we know.
A 3D model of the outer solar system and planets. A chart draws itself on screen, with minerals on the Y (vertical) axis, and “Billions of years ago” on the X (horizontal) axis. Lines indicate minerals by the thousand, and go up to 5,000. The Big Bang is at the beginning of the chart.
NARRATOR: Of the more than 5,000 minerals on Earth, a dozen were present in the early universe.
A line begins to draw from left to right at the very bottom of the chart. As it crosses 9 billion years, text reads “Early Universe”
NARRATOR: Hundreds were forged by our young Sun, and in planet-forming processes.
When the line passes 5 billion years, it starts to angle upwards towards 1,000 minerals. Text reads “Solar System.”
NARRATOR: But most emerged because of conditions on Earth itself.
The line begins to jaggedly draw upwards from five to two billion years ago, where it spikes up past 4,000 minerals. Just after 5 billion years ago, text reads “Young Earth”. At 4 billion years, “Dynamic crust” appears. Between 4 and 3 billion years ago, text reads “Life Emerges.” Close to 2 billion years ago, text reads “Great Oxygenation.” And close to “Today”, text reads “Complex Minerals.” The chart dissolves to show a rotating planet Earth.
NARRATOR: Earth’s mineral-forming processes and environments emerged long ago and continue to this day.
On the night-side of the planet Earth we see the lit up United States cities. The camera zooms in to a bright nightscape of the Brooklyn Bridge into Manhattan.
NARRATOR: And now, human civilization is also changing the planet on a geologic scale,
Bird’s eye view of construction trucks driving through a mine.
NARRATOR: through massive mining and smelting operations,
A drone flies over city construction.
NARRATOR: constructing our built environment,
A photo of two tweezers holding up a synthetic diamond and a bumpy looking clear stone.
NARRATOR: and mass-producing synthetic mineral crystals.
A drone flies over a city situated by the ocean and between several mountains.
NARRATOR: We have become part of the ongoing story of mineral evolution on Earth. A story that will be recorded in rocks for millions of years to come.
Images of the American Museum of Natural History’s Halls of Gems and Minerals.
NARRATOR: Explore the Hall to learn more about how minerals form, the environments in which they grow and the surprising connections between minerals...and you!
[END MUSIC]
Credits roll.
Executive Producer
AMNH / V. Trakinski
Writer/Producer
AMNH / L. Moustakerski
Animator
AMNH / S. Krasinski
3D Artist
AMNH / L. Kushner
Sound Design
AMNH / J. Morfoot
Voiceover Artist
Sullivan Jones
Curatorial Advisor
AMNH / G. Harlow
Content Advisors
AMNH / D. Everett-Lane
AMNH / R. Kinzler
SIU / Daniel Hummer
Image Sources
Adobe Stock
AMNH / D. Finnin
Pexels
Pond5
USGS
The minerals of Earth are spectacular and dazzling–but how does Earth stack up against other worlds in the universe? Watch to find out how our planet's most unique factor–life–affects the rocks around us.
The newly reimagined Mignone Halls of Gems and Minerals feature more than 5,000 specimens from 98 countries, and tell the fascinating story of how the vast diversity of mineral species arose on our planet. Visit them at the Museum today!