Page "Mineralogy" Paragraph 4

More recently, driven by advances in experimental technique ( such as neutron diffraction ) and available computational power, the latter of which has enabled extremely accurate atomic-scale simulations of the behaviour of crystals, the science has branched out to consider more general problems in the fields of inorganic chemistry and solid-state physics.

It, however, retains a focus on the crystal structures commonly encountered in rock-forming minerals ( such as the perovskites, clay minerals and framework silicates ).

In particular, the field has made great advances in the understanding of the relationship between the atomic-scale structure of minerals and their function ; in nature, prominent examples would be accurate measurement and prediction of the elastic properties of minerals, which has led to new insight into seismological behaviour of rocks and depth-related discontinuities in seismograms of the Earth's mantle.

To this end, in their focus on the connection between atomic-scale phenomena and macroscopic properties, the mineral sciences ( as they are now commonly known ) display perhaps more of an overlap with materials science than any other discipline.