Mineralogy & petrology

Mineralogy is a fundamental part of the Earth sciences: a geologist needs to be able to identify a rock from its constituent minerals; a geophysicist must be able to quantify how minerals propagate seismic waves and a geochemist should be able to estimate how minerals can modify the composition of fluids or melts. A strong theoretical chemical and physical background is important because it will provide you with tools that you can use in studies of rocks and rock-forming processes.  

Studying mineralogy requires an understanding of the physical chemistry of solids, structures at the atomic scale, geometrical relationships between atoms or surfaces and symmetry. Thus, key skills that you will learn include how to identify minerals, linking a mineral's atomic scale structure to its macroscopic properties, and investigation of minerals using light microscopy.  

Petrology, in contrast, focuses on the composition, structure and origins of rocks. You will learn how to identify intrusive versus extrusive igneous rocks and mantle versus crustal rocks based on their phase assemblages, geochemistry and structural characteristics. Volcanic eruption styles and hazards will be discussed and linked to magmatic processes such as volatile cycling. 

Furthermore, you will examine how geochemical signatures reflect the origin of igneous rocks and how interactions between a rock and melt or aqueous fluid can lead to enrichment of critical metals that we need for the energy transition.