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svarogteuse t1_itzg4rb wrote

Reply to comment by CrustalTrudger in Would we expect other planets to have recognizable rocks? by Toorelad

Earth also has a lot of rocks that are a by product of life, like limestone, that we wouldn't expect to find on other planets unless it developed similar lifeforms.

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CrustalTrudger t1_itzh3bf wrote

Yes, though it's also worth remembering that while most carbonates are biotic to some degree or another, there are abiotic sedimentary carbonates that can form in specific chemical environments and rare igenous carbonates (i.e., carbonatites), so we would want to be careful with a blanket assumption that carbonates = life and thus are wholly unique to a planet that has or had life. Though, certainly something like a bioclastic limestone would be unique to a planet that had life.

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