Perspectives
Mineral evolution: Earth, life has also influenced the that is required is to look into the rocks mineral kingdom. The main example on other planets to find life! what’s next? provided by Hazen2 is that of life Geobiology or producing a ‘toxic gas’—oxygen— How is it being said? which allowed the formation of oxidic The language used in the articles biogeology? minerals that did not exist before, such covering this new topic sounds like
as azurite—Cu3(CO3)2(OH)2. Of the an evolutionary Esperanto: mineral Emil Silvestru approximately 4,300 known mineral evolution, co-evolution, niches and species, Hazen claims that two thirds such like. Hazen clearly states in lthough Charles Darwin are ‘life-mediated’.2 his interview2: ‘You cannot be a Aconsidered himself a geologist, he This seems to close the circle geologist without thinking of biology is revered today as the pillar of modern because some speculations,4 presented and you cannot be a biologist without biology. But that soon may change if as facts by philosopher Michael Ruse thinking of geology.’ The motivation his evolutionary ideas will be applied in Ben Stein’s film Expelled: No here seems obvious: we need to to minerals too. There is now a trend Intelligence Allowed, were made reinforce both biology and geology towards the blurring of the frontiers of that life may have evolved on crystal by integrating them into one, larger the earth and life sciences, a push for surfaces where certain chemicals tend and more defendable body. Such a motivation undoubtedly reveals integration. Within the evolutionary to accumulate and maybe the regular paradigm, geology represents the that both evolutionary biology and structure of crystals caused the first supreme argument, an archive of evolutionary geology feel threatened! polymers to form.5,6 life’s changes (from goo-to-you) over Above all, this is yet another billions of years. But recent research So, to conclude: life was born on media trick as Hazen indirectly admits is pushing the idea that minerals also crystal surfaces and after it reached when he states that, this is a story and evolved,1 actually co-evolved with life a certain bio-mass, life influenced ‘people like stories’.2 In other words, as Robert Hazen says in an interview.2,3 crystals and minerals in their evolution. the dry language of crystallography Thus the grand rug of Darwinian Can it get better for evolutionists? Yes, and mineralogy has no appeal to evolution is extended to cover since they now see this new approach the great public, but by turning it mineralogy and implicitly geology. as a valuable addition to exobiology, into yet another, familiar-sounding, A closer analysis of this new idea and the search for extraterrestrial life. All evolution story, minerals become alive! the way it is being pushed, One cannot help but wonder portrays all the ingredients whether mineralogists are of a political agenda that seeking to increase their seeks the ever increasing research funds through this integration that the secular type of hype. academic establishment forces upon scientists, a form ρ=3.61 What is not being said of academic communism. Kyanite Technically, there is Al[6] Al[6]SiO What is being said? 5 hardly anything new in all Triclinic this hype. That minerals The contention is that have changed over time is throughout the history of the something well-understood earth, minerals have changed. ρ=3.24 because petrology, the study This change is equated to Sillimanite of the rocks, is built on the ‘evolution’ (which in fact [6] [4] idea of chemical changes Al Al SiO5 means ‘change over time’), Orthorhombic over time. Although riddled although not a Darwinian ρ=3.15 with contradictions, the Great Andalusite 7 concept of evolution because Al[6] Al[5]SiO Oxidation Event (GOE) was ‘minerals do not mutate’.2 Orthorhombic5 always seen as the source Mineral species are always of the first oxidic minerals, the same; they do not even if carbonate rocks, change over time.2 Yet, as which contain oxygen, exist the dynamic earth changed that are claimed to be older in time, new minerals were than the GOE.7 However, Phase diagram for the Al2SiO5 polymorphs. Kyanite will react to form formed and, because at sillimanite with increasing temperature or with decreasing pressure no-one thought to link it to some point life significantly (as the arrows show). The light triangular field at the bottom is the life within an evolutionary changed the conditions on stability field for andalusite. scenario.
10 JOURNAL OF CREATION 23(1) 2009 Perspectives
Hazen and his team avoid taking taxa, not by merging two or more Panderichthys—a the evolutionary analogy further, taxa into one. By leaving things at although the ingredients are there! the shallowest level possible, Hazen fish with fingers? When claiming mineral species do not & Co. hope to blaze the trail toward change over time, he is only telling integration into either ‘geobiology’ or Shaun Doyle half of the story. There are minerals ‘biogeology’! known as structural polymorphs, an Is this a new challenge to nce more, fish-to-tetrapod example of which is the andalusite- 1–2 silimanite series.8 Although there young-earth creation models? Oevolution is paraded around, are several different minerals in this this time with a study suggesting Not really. If there is a challenge, the replacement of Tiktaalik, the series, they are all formed from the it’s mostly a methodological one. icon of fish–tetrapod evolution, with same three chemical elements: Al, ‘Integration’ seems to be the battle cry of Si and O in the empirical formula the evolutionary establishment but the the 90–130-cm-long Panderichthys rhombolepis. However, Panderichthys Al2SiO5. Temperature and pressure shallowness of this new idea provides control the structural layout of these excellent grounds for creationists to isn’t exactly new; it was actually chemical elements thus determining dismantle it and by consequence further named in 1941.3 And it’s supposedly the mineral species: distene or kyanite expose the fallacies of Darwinian older too: 385 million years (Ma) old ( Al2[SiO4]O ), andalusite (Al2[SiO4]O) evolution. As for the deeper meaning in comparison to Tiktaalik, which is and sillimanite (Al[AlSiO5] (figure 1). of all this, we have yet another proof supposedly 380 Ma old. However, This should have been proudly added of God’s integrated creation, all parts a recent study has suggested that by Hazen to his evolutionary analogies of it working together, from minerals Panderichthys’ fin may be closer as a case of homology. to humans: ‘For the invisible things to tetrapods in morphology than Hazen is actually wrong when of Him from the creation of the world Tiktaalik,4 although evolutionary affirming that mineral species don’t are clearly seen, being understood theory would predict that tetrapod change: minerals actually do change by the things that are made…’ over time if they are exposed to (Romans 1:20). characteristics would be more recent. different physical and chemical conditions. Muscovite—a mica— References Fishing for fingers
( K2Al4[Al2Si6](OH, F)4 ) in the 1. Hazen, R.M. et al., Mineral evolution, Boisvert et al. have based their presence of CO2-rich water loses K American Mineralogist 93(11–12):1693–1720, analysis on the pectoral fin of one and F and transforms into kaolinite 2008. particular Panderichthys fossil, which ( Al [SiO ](OH) ). Darwin initially 2. Hazen, R., Mineral evolution, Carnegie 4 10 8 they reconstructed from a CT scan called this idea ‘transformism’. But Institute for Science, Geophysical laboratory, study of the fossil, which they then by adding oxygen to an existing November 2008,
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