Abstract
Mineral physics is a relatively new category used by geoscientists to describe the field of research that involves measurement and characterization of the physical, and to a certain extent the chemical, properties of minerals under varying pressure, temperature, stress, and chemical environment. Great progress has been made in the past 20 years because of the availability of major research facilities, new instruments, and new and improved techniques. Areas of special interest in which mineral physics plays a significant role are the study of deep-earth mineralogy, environmental mineralogy, and interactions among minerals and biological systems. There are many problems yet to be solved by applying the techniques described here along with new developments yet to come.
