A mineral that formed in place within a rock, rather than being transported there from somewhere else.
From Greek 'autos' (self) + 'genos' (produced, born). The term emerged in mineralogy and geology to describe minerals that crystallized from solutions within their host rock.
Authigenic minerals are geological storytellers—they form silently in the dark depths of rocks, and geologists can read them to understand ancient seawater chemistry and buried ocean conditions.
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