mineralise

Mineralise is a verb describing the process of converting or being converted into minerals or into mineral content. In biological contexts, mineralisation refers to the deposition of inorganic minerals within tissues or structures. In bone biology, mineralisation involves osteoblasts producing osteoid that becomes mineralised with hydroxyapatite, strengthening bone. In dental science, tooth enamel and dentin formation involve mineral deposition. Pathological mineralisation can occur in soft tissues, as in dystrophic calcification or metastatic calcification when minerals accumulate abnormally.

In geology and paleontology, mineralisation describes preservation processes in which organic matter is replaced or infilled with minerals, producing fossils. Common pathways include permineralization by silica, calcite, or pyrite and the formation of mineral casts.

In environmental science and soil microbiology, mineralisation (also called mineralization in American usage) denotes the microbial breakdown of organic matter to inorganic nutrients, releasing forms such as ammonium and nitrate during the nitrogen cycle. This contrasts with immobilisation, where microbes take up inorganic nutrients.

The term derives from mineral and the English suffix -ise and is typically rendered as mineralise in British usage and mineralize in American usage.