(((Maybe Earth really IS "the only truly alien planet.")))
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn16042-life-caused-explosion-in-our-planets-mineral-wealth.html
(...)
According to Hazen, the story begins with a mere 12 minerals that existed in the dust swirling around in the clouds that would eventually form the solar system - minerals like diamond, created in the fury of supernova explosions. When the Sun ignited, the heat from this event boosted the number to around 60.
The formation of the Earth and subsequent geochemical processes upped that to around 500, and the switching on of the conveyor belt of plate tectonics to around 1500.
"But it was life, which made its first appearance about 4 billion years ago, that made the biggest difference," says Hazen. "It boosted the number of minerals to more than 4000."
Life brought profound changes to Earth's atmosphere and ocean chemistry.
Photosynthesising organisms created abundant atmospheric oxygen. Under this oxygen-rich environment, the chemical processes of oxidation and weathering generated a swathe of new species of metal-rich minerals, such as iron.
"Four billion years ago, metals on the surface like iron and copper remained pure and shiny," says Hazen. "But the new atmosphere oxidised them, creating a host of new minerals." Approximately half of the 4300 known mineral species are down to oxidation or weathering....
(((Makes you wonder what it would take to create several zillion different minerals on Earth. An outbreak of nanotech computronium oughta do it.)))
