What is Mineralogy?
Mineralogy is a branch of the earth sciences that is concerned with studying minerals and their physical and chemical properties. Within mineralogy there are also those who study how minerals are formed, where they are geographically located, as well as their potential uses. Like many sciences, mineralogy has its origins in several ancient civilizations, and it has been concerned primarily with the various methods of classification of minerals for most of its history. Modern-day mineralogy has been expanded by advances in other sciences, such as biology and chemistry, to shed even more light on the nature of the materials that form the earth we live on. The ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle was one of the first people to theorize extensively about the origins and properties of minerals. His ideas were new and advanced for the time, but he and his contemporaries were largely incorrect in their assumptions. For example, it was a widely held belief in ancient Greece that the mineral asb
Mineralogy is the study of minerals. Minerals are natural chemical compounds in which atoms are arranged in very regular three-dimensional patterns. Minerals often occur in beautiful geometric shapes call crystals that reflect the internal patterns of crystal structure. Minerals and combinations of minerals make rocks. Metals, gems, and industrial materials of many kinds derive from minerals and rocks. Study and appreciation of minerals is an important part of modern life.
