Mineralogy is the branch of the geosciences that investigates the chemical composition, crystal structure, physical properties, and genesis of minerals, which are naturally occurring, inorganic solids with ordered atomic arrangements and defined (though sometimes variable) chemical formulas. It integrates crystallography, solid-state chemistry, and thermodynamics to characterize mineral phases, their stability fields, and phase transitions under varying pressure–temperature–composition conditions. Mineralogical research underpins petrology, ore deposit studies, and environmental and planetary sciences by providing quantitative tools for identifying minerals, modeling geochemical processes, and interpreting rock-forming and alteration histories at microscopic to planetary scales.
Gold has long held a special place in Australia's history, shaping the nation's economic fortunes and driving waves of migration since the 1850s gold rushes. Today, Australia stands as one of the world's largest gold producers, ...
Earth Sciences
Jun 25, 2026
0
29
In September 2025, NASA announced that its Perseverance rover had discovered a potential biosignature, which is a substance or structure that might have a biological origin. A new paper, published in Science Advances, unambiguously ...
Astrobiology
Jun 24, 2026
1
140
An international team of scientists has identified a completely new type of rock from the red planet and, for the first time, discovered the mineral garnet in a Martian sample. The breakthrough offers a rare glimpse into ...
Planetary Sciences
Jun 17, 2026
1
267
A huge 11,000-carat ruby has been discovered in Myanmar, state media reported Friday, one of the largest ever found in the country renowned for its precious gemstones.
Earth Sciences
May 8, 2026
0
252
Earth's earliest continents may have set the chemical stage for life by regulating boron levels in ancient oceans, a new study in Terra Nova suggests.
Astrobiology
May 6, 2026
0
45
Rocks can bind carbon dioxide—and much faster than previously thought. For a long time, it was assumed that the transformation of CO2 into carbonate rock depends on very slow, time-consuming processes. According to that view, ...
Nanophysics
Apr 29, 2026
0
45
NASA's Curiosity Mars rover has uncovered a diverse mix of organic molecules on Mars, including chemicals widely considered building blocks for the origin of life on Earth.
Astrobiology
Apr 21, 2026
0
556
Placing small stones in a bug cage is beneficial when raising pill bugs, a type of woodlouse. Researchers at the University of Tsukuba have discovered that pill bugs do not directly incorporate ingested calcium carbonate ...
Plants & Animals
Apr 15, 2026
0
19
A common mineral hiding in plain sight could hold the key to making copper production cleaner, faster and more efficient, just as global demand for the metal surges to power the energy transition. In an article published ...
Earth Sciences
Apr 15, 2026
0
62
The IBeA group of the EHU-University of the Basque Country is proposing new measures to safeguard the purity of extraterrestrial samples. Several contaminants, including traces of ink, originating in the preparation of subsamples, ...
Astrobiology
Apr 14, 2026
1
399
