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Natural Science Forum / Earth Science / Mineralogy / February 2005Insects create minerals !!!!
Yes, minerals are castles built by insects ! > Yes, minerals are castles built by insects ! Not insects, but some minerals are excreted/mediated/nucleated by microbes. Do a google on microbes and minerals. Or biogeochemistry. >> Yes, minerals are castles built by insects ! > > Not insects, but some minerals are excreted/mediated/nucleated by microbes. > > Do a google on microbes and minerals. Or biogeochemistry. If I remember correctly, glauconite forms from fecal pellets and other organic debris, though not likely from insects. Does that sound right, Jo? According to the Deer-Howie-Zussman, glauconite pellets may form from various starting materials (forams, fecal pellets,...) The sedimentation conditions seem the critical factor (low sedimentation rate, slightly reducing, shallow waters). Here in Belgium are tertiary sand layers rich in nearly black glauconite pellets. A large fraction of the green-black material is HCl-soluble, and what is left is a silica-skeletton. I observed fecal pellets in the Mansfeld Kupferschiefer, which were highly phosphatic (and uraniferous, for that matter). This discussion brings also to my mind the meter-size sand castles built in Central African savanas by termites, which accidentally dig out gold grains. This is thus a case of a ROCK built by insects. J.J. > >> Yes, minerals are castles built by insects ! > > [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > If I remember correctly, glauconite forms from fecal pellets and other organic > debris, though not likely from insects. Does that sound right, Jo? > According to the Deer-Howie-Zussman, glauconite pellets may form from > various starting materials (forams, fecal pellets,...) The sedimentation [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > > J.J. Interesting. The glauconite that occurs around where I live is paleozoic (middle Mississippian - carboniferous) in age, and consists of bright green flakes, sometimes forming thin layers at formation contacts. A few formations I have seen have flakes of glauconite throughout. One in particular is also rich in Mississippian-aged shark teeth, which occurs at the contacts of very rich crinoid beds. >> >> Yes, minerals are castles built by insects ! >> > [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > organic >> debris, though not likely from insects. Does that sound right, Jo? > Yes, minerals are castles built by insects ! There is a Chinese tradition of tales about wise men who shrinked themselves before entered some little crevice in a small rock or mineral. Years later, they emerged and recounted their journey in unheard-of microworlds. Dan Simper could perhaps be one of those wise men, and we are most curious about what he could tell us about the nanoworlds that he obviously explored in the company of insects. J.J. |
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