Mineralogic

Mineralogic refers to matters pertaining to mineralogy, the branch of science that studies minerals—their chemical composition, crystal structure, physical properties, occurrence, and classification. Although mineralogic is rarely used as a stand-alone noun in modern professional discourse, the related noun mineralogy remains the standard term for the discipline. The mineralogic study encompasses how minerals form, transform, and interact with their environment, as well as how they can be identified and characterized.

Researchers use field collection to observe minerals in rocks and soils and laboratory methods such as optical microscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), electron microprobe analysis, Raman and infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and thermogravimetric/differential scanning calorimetry. These techniques reveal crystal structure, composition, trace elements, isotopic signatures, and physical properties like hardness and cleavage.

Subfields include crystallography, mineral chemistry, mineral textures and paragenesis, economic mineralogy and ore deposit geology, planetary mineralogy, and mineral physics. Applications span resource exploration and extraction, environmental monitoring and remediation, archaeology and art conservation, and materials science for ceramics and catalysts. Planetary science uses mineralogic methods to interpret meteorites and planetary surfaces.

Historically, mineralogy emerged from mineral classification and crystallography in the 18th and 19th centuries, refining techniques to name and describe minerals. Education in mineralogic methods typically occurs within geology and earth sciences programs, often within departments of earth sciences or mineralogy. The term itself is largely superseded by mineralogy in scholarly usage, with mineralogic serving as an adjectival descriptor.