Minerals are elements or chemical compounds, usually crystals, that have been formed by natural processes.
Mineralogists at the Museum study the nature, origin and occurrence of minerals, meteorites and rocks, increasing our understanding of how both the Earth and the universe have evolved.
The Department of Mineralogy is home to the world's largest systematic collections, with over 655,000 specimens of minerals, ores, meteorites, and ocean floor sediments. The 30 scientists in the Department use a range of techniques, including X-ray crystallography and electron probe microanalysis, to investigate the chemistry and structure of minerals and to discover how rocks and minerals were formed.
Newly discovered mineralized caves
Electron microscopy and mineral analysis
Meteorites - messengers from the past
Fossil black-smokers and vent fauna
Mineralogy enquiries
Environmental mineralogy
