Zhao, Yonghong

　　Rock mechanics is a study of the mechanical behaviors of rock masses. By analyzing the stress, strain, failure, stability and physical parameters of rock under the influence of external factors (such as loading), we try to reveal the dynamic process of rock failure, determine the constitutive equation of rock and establish the relationship between rock fracture experiment and natural earthquakes, which lay the foundation for the research of seismic monitoring and earthquake precursors.

　　Mineral physics is the science of materials that compose the Earth and other planets. It applies solid-state physics, quantum chemistry theory, and modern physical chemistry technology to investigate the essence of mineral structure, mineral physics, mineral chemistry, and mineral formation.

　　Research in mineral physics is essential in interpreting observational data from many of the disciplines in the Earth sciences, including geodynamics, seismology, geochemistry, petrology, geomagnetism, and planetary science, as well as materials science and even climate studies. All of the natural sciences devote a great deal of their focus on processes that occur on the Earth's surface. Much of this evolution is the result of surface manifestations of deep Earth phenomena. Mineral Physics helps us understand the properties of materials that are involved in the deep Earth phenomena.

　　The results of geophysical observation (seismology, gravity, geoelectricity, and geomagnetism) are the physical properties (density, elastoplasticity, and electromagnetic properties) of materials, not the composition and structure of materials. Mineral physics is like the bridge which connected the observation and interpretation of the study of the deep Earth and planets. By using mineral physics, the results of geophysical observations can be correlated with the composition, structure, and dynamic properties of materials which are concerned by the geoscience community.

　　In a manner of speaking, mineral physics provides the vital information needed to interpret deep Earth geophysical data in terms of Earth structure, composition, temperature, and dynamics.