Crystal structures of minerals are defined by a specific atomic arrangement within the unit‐cell, which follows the laws of symmetry specific to each crystal system. The causes for a mineral to crystallize in a given crystal system have been the subject of many studies showing their dependency on different formation conditions, such as the presence of aqueous fluids, biotic activity and many others. Different attempts have been made to quantify and interpret the information that we can gather from studying crystal symmetry and its distribution in the mineral kingdom. However, these methods are mostly outdated or at least not compatible for use on large datasets available today. Therefore, a revision of symmetry index calculation has been made in accordance with the growing understanding of mineral species and their characteristics. In the gathered data, we observe a gradual but significant decrease in crystal symmetry through the stages of mineral evolution, from the formation of the solar system to modern day. However, this decrease is neither uniform nor linear, which provides further implications for mineral evolution from the viewpoint of crystal symmetry. The temporal distribution of minerals based on the number of essential elements in their chemical formulae and their symmetry index has been calculated and compared to explore their behaviour. Minerals with four to eight essential elements have the lowest average symmetry index, while being the most abundant throughout all stages of mineral evolution. There are many open questions, including those pertaining to whether or not biological activity on Earth has influenced the observed decrease in mineral symmetry through time and whether or not the trajectory of planetary evolution of a geologically active body is one of decreasing mineral symmetry/increasing complexity.

Nearly a half of known IMA-approved minerals (as of November 2021) are reported from four localities or fewer and so may be considered rare mineral species. These minerals form a continuum with more common species (e.g., rock-forming minerals), all of which constitute important constituents of Earth and contributors to its dynamics. To better understand the taxonomy of mineral rarity, evaluations have been made on the basis of k-means clustering and kernel density estimation of one-dimensional data on mineral occurrence metrics. Results from second- and third-degree polynomial regression analyses indicate the presence of a divergence between the observed number of endemic minerals discovered since 2000 and those that are likely to represent “true” endemic species. The symmetry index, calculated using the approach of Urusov for each rarity cluster, reveals a gradual decrease from ubiquitous to endemic from 0.64 to 0.47. A network analysis of element co-occurrences within each rarity cluster suggests the existence of at least three different communities having similar geochemical affinities; the latter may reflect the relative abundance of minerals their elements tend to form. The analysis of element co-occurrence matrices within each group indicates that crustal abundance is not the only factor controlling the total number of minerals each element tends to form. Other significant factors include: (1) the geochemical affinity to the principal element in the group (i.e., sulfur for chalcophile and oxygen for lithophile elements) and (2) dispersion of the principal element through geochemical processes. There is a positive correlation between the lithophile element group's abundance in the Earth's crust and the number of common minerals they tend to form, but a negative correlation with the number of rare species.

The latest geological research carried out during seasonal work in 2017 revealed that metamorphosed layered gabbroids, which partially outcrop along the Antarctic Peninsula Coast on Cape Tuxen and Rasmussen Island, compose sheet-like intrusive body of total dimensions more than 3 km 2. Significant part of the Tuxen-Rasmussen Gabbroid Intrusion (TRGI) is submerged under Waddington Bay. Main objectives of the study were the identification of geological position of the TRGI and the clarification of its geological age. In addition to the field methods of the geological research the samples collected during this and the previous years were studied using optical and electron microscopy techniques in order to identify petrographic and mineralogical features of the gabbroids. Results of the studies confirmed previous observation that TRGI was embedded in Upper Jurassic Volcanic Group (UJVG) of Antarctic Peninsula and it was responsible for contact metamorphism of the UJVG and suffered contamination by volcanic material. Gabbroids and volcanic rocks were later intruded by granites of Late Cretaceous age, which belong to the Andean Intrusive Suite (AIS) of Graham Land. Authors define geological age of TRGI as Early Cretaceous. Previous U-Pb isotope datings of the gabbroids are believed to be "rejuvenated". It was discovered that TRGI strikes in northeastern direction and dips steep in northwestern direction. It is assumed that intrusive body continues underwater and can outcrop at the northern shore of the Waddington Bay and at Barros Rocks direction to the southwest. Petrographical researches showed that gabbroids underwent metamorphic alteration in conditions of epidote-amphibolite facies. They bear, nevertheless, relict structural-textural features and mineral associations of mafic igneous rocks. Authors drew a conclusion that geological position and petrographical peculiarities of TRGI correspond to hypabyssal level of crystallization. Primary igneous origin is proved for the microrhythmic layering of the gabbroids. Relict mineral associations allow to identify the rocks as olivine gabbro-norites. Potential Fe-Ti-V ore specialization is emphasized according to the revealed patterns of crystal fractionation and accumulation of ilmenite and magnetite.