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Science 13 August 1999:
Vol. 285. no. 5430, pp. 1026 - 1027
DOI: 10.1126/science.285.5430.1026
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Perspectives

MINERALOGY:
Mineralogy at a Crossroads

Russell J. Hemley

Mineralogy, for a long time defined as the study of naturally occurring crystalline compounds formed as a results of inorganic processes, is at a crossroads. The above definition is now seen as far too restrictive, and a wider definition includes new high pressure/temperature minerals not yet found on Earth, amorphous, nano-, and mesoscopic materials and their dimensionality-dependent properties, extraterrestrial rocks, biologically precipitated minerals, and the role of minerals in the evolution of life. At the interface to technology, mineralogy is providing a stimulus both in terms of the materials studied and the tools applied to their investigation. The interdisciplinary nature of mineralogy is illustrated in an overview of recent developments in the field.

The author is at the Geophysical Laboratory and Center for High Pressure Research, Carnegie Institution of Washington, 5251 Broad Branch Road, NW, Washington, DC 20015, USA.

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THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Moissanite: A Window for High-Pressure Experiments.
J.-a. Xu and H.-k. Mao (2000)
Science 290, 783-785
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