SOME THEORETICAL PROBLEMS OF MINERALOGY

Abstract

The old fundamental problems of mineralogy (mineral species, system of mineralogy and phylogeny of mineralogy definitions) are briefly considered in the paper. The understanding of mineral species as a mineral series by J.D. Dana is shown to be reasonable. It provides an opportunity to develop the phylogeny of minerals, i.e., the theory of mineral species evolution under directed changes of physical-chemical parameters in the system. The system of mineralogy should not look like a classification. The tolerance spaces and structures are the alternative possibilities.

Keywords

• mineral species
• system of mineralogy
• phylogeny of minerals