Hundreds of minerals exist solely due to humans, study finds

[PinkDiamond]

This is pretty wild, and I had no idea these minerals were being newly created. How cool!
I just wish they gave us a list of the names, and more than one photo, which they have no link to embedded in the pic so I can't show it to you here.

Hundreds of minerals exist solely due to humans, study finds
By Mindy Weisberger Livescience.com March 6, 2017, 5:25 PM

"Over centuries, humans have left a widening imprint on this planet, marked by a growing need for natural resources, and by the rapid expansion of agriculture and infrastructure.

And a new study has found that one of the hallmarks of this footprint is the appearance of 208 species of minerals that exist solely due to human activity.

These minerals represent nearly 4 percent of the 5,200 mineral species recognized by the International Mineralogical Association (IMA), and most can be attributed -- directly or indirectly -- to mining in locations around the world, forming as a direct result of their rocky environment’s uniquely human-made conditions. [Photos: The World’s Weirdest Geological Formations]

Many of the minerals that were linked directly to mining formed within the mines themselves, in dumps for mining by-products or on mining-related artifacts, with some dating as far back as the Bronze Age, the study authors reported. And other minerals emerged naturally but from human-made objects: bronze artifacts in Egypt, tin artifacts in Canada, and lead artifacts in a Tunisian shipwreck.

Earth’s history is marked in periods of time known as epochs, which are defined by notable changes in the geologic record. The current epoch, the Holocene, launched about 12,000 to 11,500 years ago, after the end of the Paleolithic Ice Age, but geologists have proposed the introduction of a new epoch called the Anthropocene to characterize a recent period in Earth’s history, dating back about two centuries ago.

The Anthropocene indicates the first appearance of evidence for people shaping permanent geologic changes, such as the large-scale removal of rock and sediment, the widespread redistribution of gemstones and mineral specimens, and the global appearance of novel minerals associated with human activity.

According to the new study, the catalog of 208 minerals that exist solely due to human activity represent a clear ... "
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/minerals-th ... to-humans/

[kjsspot]

Many of the minerals that were linked directly to mining formed within the mines themselves, in dumps for mining by-products

Ya, I keep dumping my opal water in the same spot hoping they'll grow.

[rocks2dust]

Ya, I keep dumping my opal water in the same spot hoping they'll grow.

They might.