The participation of sunlight in the natural chemistry of the earth is presented as a unique field of study, from historical observations to prospects for future inquiry. A compilation of known reactions shows the extent of light-driven interactions between naturally occurring components of land, air, and water, and provides the backdrop for an outline of the mechanisms of these phenomena. Catalyzed reactions, uncatalyzed reactions, direct processes, and indirect processes all operate in natural photochemical transformations, many of which are analogous to well-known biological reactions. By overlaying photochemistry and surface geochemistry, complementary approaches can be adopted to identify natural photochemical reactions and discern their significance in the environment.

中文翻译：

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光地球化学调查。

从历史观察到未来探究的前景，太阳光参与地球自然化学的研究是一个独特的研究领域。已知反应的汇编显示了土地，空气和水的自然发生成分之间光驱动相互作用的程度，并为概述这些现象的机理提供了背景。催化反应，未催化反应，直接过程和间接过程均以天然光化学转化进行，其中许多类似于众所周知的生物反应。通过叠加光化学和表面地球化学，可以采用互补方法来识别自然光化学反应并识别其在环境中的重要性。