MINERALOGY: HISTORY, OBJECT OF STUDY, BRANCHES - GEOGRAFÍA - 2024

The mineralogy is a science that focuses on the study of the minerals present in nature and focuses on the analysis of its forms, physical properties, structure and chemical composition.

As a branch of geology, mineralogy investigations revolve around the classification of different minerals and the way they are presented or distributed in nature.

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Through the mines the extraction of minerals is carried out.

It shows special emphasis on the study of known and unknown minerals in order to discover possible utilities for exploitation at an economic level. The analysis of minerals from the point of view of their origin and formation is the central theme in mineralogy, which seeks to extract data on the earth's crust.

One of the contributions, which gives scientific knowledge to mineralogy, comes from the data concerning the formation of the earth through the results of mineral investigations.

Through in-depth knowledge of minerals, their structures, physical properties and chemical composition, the composition of the earth's crust can be deduced.

History

The emergence of mineralogy as a science is related to the work published in 1556 by the physicist Georgius Agricola, called De Re Metallica, in which he presented quite specific details about mining.

For his part, Nicolas Steno made great contributions to the knowledge of crystallography from the analysis of quartz crystals, which led him to establish the "Law of constancy of interfacial angles."

An important contribution was that made by Carangeot in 1780 when creating a device whose specific function consisted of measuring the interfacial angles of crystals.

René J. Haüy in 1784, through rigorous studies, came to the conclusion that crystals have a structure called integral molecules, that is, they are formed based on stacks of homogeneous units.

Many years later he continued to develop research on crystals, which led him to present the theory of rational indices for the face of crystals in 1801.

The multiple contributions of scientists, focused on the study of minerals, allowed mineralogy to be today a science that has made great contributions to humanity.

Background to mineralogy

The use of minerals in the world dates back to prehistoric times when men often used them to represent their paintings inside caves.

The cave painting was an artistic manifestation of the primitive time, whose colors were extracted from minerals known as hematite, as well as from pyrolusite.

Despite the fact that there is evidence that man found great utility in the use of minerals, we cannot speak of the birth of mineralogy as a science.

A first attempt at the formal study of minerals is associated with the creation and publication of the essay called Treatise on Stones of Theophrastus, who was a disciple of Aristotle.

Theophrastus' contributions to mineralogy are so relevant that he is considered to be the forerunner of this science, however, for a long time there were no advances in the discipline.

Historical data indicate that Pliny was the second known person who dedicated himself to the study of mineralogy, and his contribution consisted of a document in which he reflected the studies that were carried out at the time.

Object of study

This branch of geology focuses on the study and analysis of the types of minerals present on the planet through the use of various research methods.

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Mineralogy, through its investigations, seeks to identify the structures of minerals in order to determine the distribution of their atoms.

Minerals are objects in solid state, characterized by showing a homogeneous internal structure with defined physical and chemical properties, whose atoms are organized.

That is, if you take a mineral and divide it, it will retain the same physical, chemical, and atomic composition. They generally take the shape of a rock or can be found attached to them.

Mineralogy is in charge of studying the origin of minerals in order to explain how they were formed, it also deals with the descriptive analysis of all these inorganic bodies.

The identification and classification of new minerals is the object of study of mineralogy by means of which they analyze the properties to obtain data regarding the process of formation of the planet.

This discipline studies the way in which minerals are distributed in the earth, their physical properties, the chemical composition, as well as the possible uses that they can be given as a natural resource.

Branches of mineralogy

Descriptive

It is in charge of classifying all minerals based on their physical properties, composition and organization.

Chemistry

Chemical mineralogists focus on the study of minerals found in the earth in order to determine their chemical composition, and from there associate it with the components present in the earth's crust.

Determinative

Investigations in determinative mineralogy revolve around the analysis of unknown minerals to establish their structures and find their physical properties and chemical composition.

Optics

Through optical mineralogy, experts use light as a tool to determine the distribution of crystals in minerals.

Economical

It is guided by the study of unknown minerals with the aim of discovering possible applications in the industrial field for economic purposes.

general

The object of study of general mineralogy are crystals in order to establish their shape, chemical composition, physical properties and structure.

Mineralogenesis

Part of the analysis of the formation process of minerals, the way in which they are shown in the earth and the applications or ways in which they can be exploited in industry.

References

1. EcuRed. Mineralogy. Taken from ecured.cu
2. Encyclopedia Britannica. Mineralogy. Taken from britannica.com
3. Government of Mexico. Mineralogy. Mexican Geological Survey. Taken from sgm.gob.mx
4. Science. Mineralogy. Taken from science.jrank.org
5. University of Valladolid. Introduction to Mineralogy. Taken from greco.fmc.cie.uva.es