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The Department of Geology is responsible for studying the
minerals and rocks of Mars. Rocks and minerals are two
different things. Every mineral has four characteristics: it
is solid, made up of crystals, is formed by natural
processes, and has a definite chemical composition. For
example, a diamond is a mineral. A diamond has a definite
composition, comprising of entirely carbon. It is formed
when the carbon is put under incredibly high temperatures
and pressures, which is a natural process. If you look at a
diamond, you can probably tell that it has a crystalline
structure. It is, of course, also solid.
Minerals are very useful, and any large deposits found on
Mars are very valuable to the colonists. One valuable
minerals that has been found on Mars is Gypsum. Gypsum can
be use to make
concrete, which means that the colonists do not have to
transport concrete from
Earth. Another mineral which was found by the Pathfinder
probe to Mars in 1997 was feldspar. Feldspar is also very
abundant on Earth, making up almost half of the volume of
the Earth's crust.
Two types of feldspar, Orthoclase and microcline, are
very useful
industrially. They can be readily converted into glass,
which if obviously very useful to Koinae, since there can be
obvious difficulties in transporting glass across the solar
system. Since minerals are what make up rocks, the
Department of Geology can continue to use instruments such
as the Sojourner probe that was launched with the
Pathfinder.
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