Mineralogy Beyond Earth
A section of Minerals (ISSN 2075-163X).
Section Information
This section aims to publish high-quality research that advances the understanding of the formation, evolution, distribution, and significance of minerals with origins beyond the boundaries of Earth. By focusing on extraterrestrial mineralogy, this section seeks to
- Highlight how extraterrestrial minerals record the history of planetary bodies (e.g., planets, moons, asteroids, comets) and the early solar system;
- Facilitate the exchange of insights on mineralogical processes unique to non-Earth environments (e.g., low-gravity crystallization, extreme temperature/pressure regimes, interactions with exotic volatiles like methane or ammonia);
- Support the translation of extraterrestrial mineralogy research into practical applications, such as resource utilization in space exploration and the interpretation of data from planetary missions (e.g., rovers, orbiters, sample return missions);
- Complement Minerals’s existing focus on Earth-based mineralogy by expanding its scope to a global (solar system-wide and beyond) context, thereby attracting a broader community of researchers and enhancing the journal’s interdisciplinary impact.
Keywords
- extraterrestrial mineralogy
- planetary minerals
- lunar mineralogy
- mars mineralogy
- asteroid mineralogy
- cometary minerals
- pre-solar minerals
- protoplanetary disk minerals
- europa minerals
- impact metamorphism (extraterrestrial)
- hydrothermal minerals (non-earth)
- in situ resource utilization (ISRU)
- planetary remote sensing (mineralogical)
- sample return missions (mineral analysis)
- comparative mineralogy
- astromineralogy
- solar system mineral evolution
- mineralogy of extrasolar planets
- meteorites
Editorial Board
Special Issues
Following special issues within this section are currently open for submissions:
- Isotopic Tracers in Solar System Minerals and Materials: Novel Methods and Emerging Perspectives (Deadline: 31 July 2026)
- Astromineralogy and Compositions of Rocky Planets (Deadline: 30 November 2026)
- Impact Cratering in the Solar System from Paleomagnetic and Rock Magnetic Perspectives (Deadline: 30 November 2026)
- The 15th Anniversary of Minerals—Mineralogical Signatures of Extreme Environments: From Earth Analogs to Planetary Exploration (Deadline: 30 December 2026)
