Don't Drink The Ancient Forbidden Mineral Water

Rocks and minerals are known for being tough.

They’re the hard stuff that makes up  the planet, and without them…well,   we wouldn’t have much of a planet at all.

Lots of the minerals on Earth  started out life as liquids,   either dissolved in water or  heated above their melting point.

But occasionally, the minerals can form in   such a way that preserves a few  drops of fluid inside of them.

This primeval liquid isn’t likely to  replace your water bottle any time soon,   but it is more than just a curiosity.

It’s a window into the  workings of the ancient Earth.

So let’s talk about the forbidden mineral water in  these crystals, and why you should not drink it.

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The majority of minerals on our planet crystallize  from fluids beneath the Earth’s surface, and this crystallisation happens  when the pressure, temperature,   or saturation of the liquid reaches the  Goldilocks point for mineral formation.

And that perfect combo of temperature and  pressure is different for each mineral.

For instance, igneous minerals  freeze out of molten lava when   the temperature dips below their melting point.

Meanwhile, sedimentary minerals  crystallize when the concentrations   of their component molecules gets high enough.

Crystals can begin to grow in  a lattice within that fluid,   building up a scaffold of atoms and bonds.

But if there’s anything else  floating around inside that fluid,   it can interfere with the growing crystal,  and cause imperfections in the 3D lattice.