Exploring Earth's Hidden Treasures: New Mineral Discoveries and Research

Dear Colleagues,

In general, we tend to think about minerals in mineralogical terms, instead of considering them in the broader context of inorganic materials. Some new minerals are also new compounds. Because of their chemical composition and crystal structure, some new minerals have interesting properties, whether physical, electronic, optical, or magnetic, which have applications in technology. Although the vast majority of these will be mineralogical rarities, the identification and study of the yet undescribed natural phases are not only of interest from a purely scientific point of view but also have practical implications. Among the future minerals, there will undoubtedly be various types of commercial ores and compounds with unique structures and technologically useful properties. Having a broader view of our study material, we can explore our findings more fully and, at the same time, raise the scientific profile of descriptive mineralogy. In the past, minerals were seen, in general, merely as sources of chemicals: iron ore, copper ore, etc. However, minerals are not just chemical associations, since they display crystal structures. These two features together provide properties that can be technologically useful. Although a mineral may occur in an exceedingly small amount, which precludes its extraction, it can serve as a model for obtaining a synthetic analog on an industrial scale.

Prof. Dr. Daniel Atencio
Dr. Marcelo B. Andrade
Guest Editors

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• new minerals
• descriptive mineralogy
• new data on minerals