An important branch of mineralogy, including testing the composition, structure, morphology and characteristics of newly discovered minerals and naming new minerals. The International Mineralogy Association (IMA) has a special committee on new minerals and mineral nomenclature, which is responsible for examining whether the discovered minerals can become independent new mineral species and naming new minerals.
Research areas:
Mineralogy is also the basis for studying the search, development and application of mineral raw materials and materials. Therefore, it is also closely related to prospecting geology, mining, mineral processing, metallurgy and materials science. In addition, mineralogy applies the theories and techniques of mathematics, chemistry and physics, which are mutually infiltrated and combined.
New frontier disciplines such as mineral physics have also emerged. The research field of mineralogy is expanding day by day, from crustal minerals to mantle minerals and cosmic minerals of other celestial bodies, from natural minerals to synthetic minerals; The research content of mineralogy has developed from macro to micro, from main components to trace elements.