Asubset of geology, mineralogy is the study of minerals in the Earth’s crust. In general, mineralogy is broken down into the fol1owing specialties (although it is difficult to actually separate these divisions when analyzing minerals):
Crystallography – Crystallography is the study of the internal (for example, atomic structures) and external geometry of crystals. Crystallographers study the growth, shape, and geometric characteristics of crystals.
Physical mineralogy – Physical mineralogy is the study of the physical properties of minerals.
Chemical mineralogy – Chemical mineralogy is the study of the chemical properties and structures of minerals.
[…] scientists study mineralogy for many reasons. First, and most important, minerals are the building blocks of all rocks. Thus, […]