The influence of oxygen and electronegativity on iron mineral chemistry throughout Earth’s history

•The new mineral chemistry network analysis platform, dragon, is used to investigate the mineral chemistry of iron (Fe) over geologic-time.•Iron mineral chemistry network graphs illustrate the increasing importance of oxygen (O) abundance in the atmosphere from the Paleoarchean to the Mesoproterozoic in regard to the emergence of new Fe minerals, as well as the influence of free O on trends in element electronegativity in mineral formation and electron transfer processes.•The proportion of oxygen containing Fe minerals had the sharpest increase during the time periods of the Kenorland and Columbia supercontinent assembly events.•The rise of O is associated with O becoming more centralized in the Fe mineral chemistry network as well as with an increase through time in the number of Fe minerals containing combinations of high and low electronegativity elements.•The importance of oxygen in the expansion of Fe mineral chemical diversity, and its influence on the bioavailability of Fe in the environment, is illustrated clearly in the Fe mineral chemistry network.