why is mineralogy important to a geologist?

Answer 1

Adam,

Mineralogy is extremely important to a geologist, because geologists study earth processes, and the earth is MADE of minerals. Since minerals are the solid compounds that make up most rocks, and indeed most of the earth, geologists must learn mineralogy so that they know the properties of the rocks they are studying and can make reasonable inferences about how those rocks will behave under different conditions. It is truly a cornerstone in geology, and is an indispensable part of a geologist's education.

Answer 2

Mineralogy is important to geologists because rocks from different parts of the world have different isotopes and different chemical compositions. For instance lava that comes from an oceanic source like basalt has a thin runny consistency like the volcanoes of Hawaii. Volcanoes who's lava has much more silica has much thicker and slower moving.
Magmas can be different depending on their chemical composition. Magma is a mixture of elements such as silica, oxygen, iron, sodium, and potassium and not all magmas have the same amounts of each element. As the molten material cools, elements combine to form the common types of silicate minerals, which are the building blocks of igneous rocks. Rocks that form from different types of magma are often made of different minerals. I hope I've been some help.

Answer 3

Mineralogy is a basic of petrology, sedimentolgy and oceanography; and has important ramifications in structural geology. Without knowledge of minerals it becomes hard to classify rocks, which in turn limits a geologists ability to draw conclusions about those rocks.