= Mineralogy
<Mineralogy> studies the composition, structure and properties of <minerals>. A chemical analysis identifies which elements are present, while <X-ray diffraction> constrains their periodic atomic arrangement. These measurements answer different questions: substances with the same overall composition can have different <crystal structures>.
Microscopy and physical properties provide complementary evidence. Mineral assemblages and textures help reconstruct rock formation, deformation and fluid interaction. Identification must allow for <solid solutions>, in which composition varies within one structural family, and for alteration that changes only part of a grain.
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