Mineralogist
Mineralogy is one of the basic geological sciences that combines the concepts of symmetry, crystallography and crystal chemistry to understand the physical and optical properties of minerals. Techniques such as X-ray diffraction, chemical analysis and the use of mineral associations are required to systematically describe minerals and their geological occurrences. Closely related to mineralogy are other geological disciplines, namely geochemistry, which is the study of the distribution of elements in the Earth’s crust; petrology, which is the study of rock in all aspects; geology, which is the study of the Earth as a whole; and crystallography which is the study of all crystalline compounds.
Mineralogy is essential to all geologists they deal directly and indirectly with minerals in their work. Minerals can be divided into two broad categories, namely rock forming minerals, that occur in rocks in general, but do not necessarily have uses in industry. and ore minerals that contain a useful metal or compound, Mostly mineralogists would deal with the ore minerals and the rock forming minerals with which they are associated in the ore-body. The main groups dealt with are ore minerals that are of economic importance and used for the extraction of metals, and industrial minerals (usually a chemical compound) that are used as raw materials for industries like glass making, ceramics, abrasives, cement, pigments and many more.
Mineralogy is the first step in assessing possible valuable mineral deposits, identifying minerals of interest, and advising metallurgists on the mineral characteristics to assist in beneficiation.
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