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Biological and Organic Chemical Decomposition of SilicatesThe weathering of silicate rocks and minerals, an important concern of geologists and geochemists for many years, traditionally has been approached from strictly physical and chemical points of view. Biological effects were either unrecognized, ignored, or were mentioned in passing to account for such phenomena as the accumulation of organic matter in sediments or the generation of reducing environments. A major exception occurred in soil science where agricultural scientists, studying the factors important in the development of soils and their ability to nourish and sustain various crops, laid the foundation for much of what is known of the biological breakdown of silicate rocks and minerals. The advent of the space age accelerated the realization that many environmental problems and geochemical processes on Earth can only be understood in terms of ecosystems. This in turn, spurred renewed interest and activity among modem biologists, geologists and soil scientists attempting to unravel the intimate relations between biology and the weathering of silicate rocks and minerals of the earth's surface.
Document ID
19990113079
Acquisition Source
Ames Research Center
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
Authors
Sliverman, M. P.
(NASA Ames Research Center Moffett Field, CA United States)
Date Acquired
August 19, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 1979
Publication Information
Publication: Biogeochemical Cycling of Mineral-Forming Elements
Publisher: Elsevier
Subject Category
Geophysics
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.
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