Having described a natural object using . . . professionally arrived-at vocabulary and techniques . . . d the geoscientist then classifies the object into a group or category. Paleontologists or icropaleontologists classify fossils or microfossils according to their morphology; geomorphologists do the same with landforms. Traditionally, mineralogists or petrologists (scientists who study rocks) identify minerals in a hand sample or photomicrograph by shape, color (including color changes under different lighting conditions), and texture (e.g., Does it have stripes? Does it have a shiny surface?) . . . Geoscience novices learn this skill by comparing unknown fossils, minerals, or geomorphological features against a catalog, using the descriptive terms and measurements mentioned above. To become experts, students must construct their own mental catalog of the properties of dozens to hundreds of fossils or minerals, and then develop facility at comparing each unknown new mineral or fossil against this mental catalog. (p. 56/see source for more)
