Mineralogical Society Of America

What Mineralogical Society Of America does

The Mineralogical Society of America (MSA) is a nonprofit scientific professional society founded in 1919 and headquartered in Chantilly, Virginia, with approximately six employees. The organization is dedicated to the advancement of mineralogy, crystallography, geochemistry, and petrology, and serves three primary constituencies: research scientists and academics in Earth and planetary materials, students of geology and Earth sciences, and the broader public including mineral collectors and K-12 educators. Its mission is operationalized through scholarly publishing, awards and grants, short courses, lectureships, symposia, conferences, and educational outreach.

MSA's core products center on a portfolio of scholarly publications. The flagship is American Mineralogist, an international peer-reviewed journal of Earth and Planetary Materials Research in continuous publication since 1916 (2024 Journal Impact Factor: 2.3). The society also publishes the Reviews in Mineralogy and Geochemistry (RiMG) monograph series, with recent volumes covering Surface Complexation Models (2025) and Exoplanets (2024), and co-publishes Elements magazine with peer societies. Supporting infrastructure includes the MSA Publications platform (msapubs.org), the MSA Online Store with over 190 SKUs (RiMG volumes at $50-$65, Elements issues at $20, children's books at $10-$15, textbooks, and themed calendars), Mineralogy4Kids (a children's educational portal), Minerals Day (an Earth Science Week outreach initiative), and the Teaching Mineralogy and Petrology Online resource hub.

MSA's revenue model combines subscription recurring streams (membership dues, institutional journal subscriptions) with one-time/transactional revenue (book and publication sales, themed calendar sales). Pricing is public, with annual membership renewals and pay-as-you-go purchases through the membership portal and e-commerce store. Distribution is global, supported by direct-to-consumer channels plus GTM partnerships with Lithographie, LLC and six mineral/gem show organizations for calendar distribution. The organization is member-governed through an elected council, holds no parent company, has no disclosed funding rounds, and conducts no M&A activity, consistent with its nonprofit scientific society structure.

Name

Mineralogical Society Of America

Legal name

Mineralogical Society of America

Website

https://msaweb.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1919

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Mineralogical Society of America is a 501(c)-style nonprofit scientific society founded in 1919 that publishes American Mineralogist, the RiMG monograph series, and Elements magazine, serving Earth science researchers, students, educators, and the public through journals, memberships, educational outreach, and themed publication sales.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Scientific Publishing

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAGAGAF

Business, Management & HR Reference (Operations, Strategy, HR, Leadership)

Education/Educational Publishing & Learning Content/Professional & Technical Reference Publishing

Keywords

• Scientific publishing
• Mineralogy journals
• Geochemistry publications
• Professional society
• Earth sciences education

Headquarters

HQ city

Chantilly

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Journal Subscriptions: American Mineralogist is published continuously and generates subscription revenue from institutions and individual subscribers. The acceptance-to-final publication timeframe is approximately eight months.
2. Book and Publication Sales: MSA operates an online store selling Reviews in Mineralogy & Geochemistry volumes ($50-65 each), Elements magazine issues ($20 each), textbooks, monographs, and calendars.
3. Membership Dues: MSA generates revenue through membership renewals and new member sign-ups, with member benefits including journal access and publications discounts.
4. Calendar Sales: MSA publishes annual mineral-themed calendars (Copper Minerals 2026, Colors of Europe 2025) in cooperation with Lithographie, LLC and other mineral societies.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Mineralogical Society of America is a nonprofit professional membership society that publishes the peer-reviewed journal American Mineralogist, the Reviews in Mineralogy and Geochemistry (RiMG) monograph series, and the jointly-published Elements magazine. It sells publications, textbooks, calendars, and educational materials through its online store and supports members and the public through educational resources, awards, grants, and conferences.

Product overview

The Mineralogical Society of America operates as a professional society offering a portfolio of scholarly publications and educational resources. The core products include American Mineralogist (the flagship journal published since 1916 covering Earth and Planetary Materials Research), Reviews in Mineralogy and Geochemistry (RiMG) monographs, and the jointly-published Elements magazine. The society also provides educational resources including Mineralogy4Kids for children, Teaching Mineralogy and Petrology Online resources, and Minerals Day programming. Additional offerings include specialty calendars featuring minerals from various global localities, children's books on rocks and minerals, and technical guides such as Raman Spectroscopy for Mineral Identification. All products are available through the MSA Online Store.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• American Mineralogist International peer-reviewed journal of Earth and Planetary Materials Research, published continuously since 1916, with a 2024 Journal Impact Factor of 2.3.
• Reviews in Mineralogy and Geochemistry (RiMG) Monograph series covering specialized topics in mineralogy, geochemistry, petrology, and crystallography; volumes priced $50-$65 each.
• Elements Magazine International magazine of mineralogy, geochemistry, and petrology published jointly with other societies, with individual issues priced at $20.
• MSA Membership Annual professional membership program providing members with access to American Mineralogist, discounts on RiMG volumes and other publications, and eligibility for society awards and grants.
• MSA Mineral Calendars Annual mineral-themed calendars featuring mineral specimens from various global localities and themes (Copper Minerals, Colors of Europe, Tsumeb, Minerals of Mexico, Agate, Colorado Minerals, Gold, Tourmaline, Wulfenite).
• Crystals and Crystal Forms Educational publication on crystal systems and forms, priced at $15.00, intended for students and mineral enthusiasts.
• Raman Spectroscopy for Mineral Identification: A Practical Guide Practical guide covering the basics of the Raman effect, spectrometer components, systematics of Raman spectra, and step-by-step instructions for hands-on mineral identification.
• Mineralogical Dictionary for Mineral Collectors Reference dictionary resource for mineral collectors, priced at $10.
• Johnny and Max's Mineral Hunting Adventure Illustrated children's book about rock and mineral collecting adventures, priced at $10.
• The World of Minerals & Crystals Children's educational book introducing minerals and crystals, priced at $10.
• A Quest for Shiny Purple Crystals: Johnny and Max's Rock Hunting Adventure 2018 illustrated children's book by Monica Tsang Rakovan about Johnny and Max learning about amethyst and rock collecting, 32 pages, softcover.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2024 Journal Impact Factor of 2.3

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Lithographie, LLCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLithographie, LLC publishes MSA calendars in cooperation with MSA and other mineral societies including Denver Area Gem & Mineral Show, Fine Mineral Shows, LLD Productions, Inc., RMGM Promotions, and Tucson Gem and Mineral Society. Current calendars include Copper Minerals 2026 and Colors of Europe 2025.
• Tucson Gem and Mineral SocietyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-publisher of MSA mineral calendars, contributing to distribution and marketing of mineral-themed calendars.
• LLD Productions, Inc.minorGTM or Marketing PartnerCalendar publishing partner for MSA's annual mineral-themed calendars.
• Denver Area Gem & Mineral ShowminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCalendar publishing partner for MSA's annual mineral-themed calendars.
• RMGM PromotionsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCalendar publishing partner for MSA's annual mineral-themed calendars.
• Fine Mineral ShowsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCalendar publishing partner for MSA's annual mineral-themed calendars.
• The Mineral City ShowminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-publisher of MSA's Copper Minerals 2026 calendar.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Geological Society of America: Premier US professional society for geology broadly; publishes its own journals (e.g., Geology, Geosphere) and convenes the GSA Annual Meeting, directly competing with MSA for earth-science researchers, students, and institutional members.
• European Mineralogical Union: European counterpart professional organization that convenes mineralogy researchers and publishes related scientific content, serving as a regional alternative to MSA for European members.
• American Geophysical Union: Major US-based scientific society covering geophysics and earth sciences; publishes high-impact journals (JGR family) and competes with MSA for earth-science research content, conference attendance, and member loyalty.
• Geochemical Society: US professional society for geochemistry that co-publishes Elements magazine with MSA; competes for the same researcher audience and editorial pipeline in geochemistry and petrology.
• International Mineralogical Association: Global umbrella organization for national mineralogical societies; overlaps with MSA's mission of advancing mineralogy and provides an alternative affiliation for international researchers.
• Mineralogical Society of the United Kingdom and Ireland: Direct international counterpart society focused on mineralogy; publishes Mineralogical Magazine and similar monograph content, serving the same scientific community as MSA from a UK/Ireland base.

Broad incumbents

• Springer Nature: Major commercial scientific publisher that competes for the same earth-science author pool and library subscription budgets as MSA's journals, though with a much broader portfolio across disciplines.
• American Association of Petroleum Geologists: Much larger, broader geoscience professional society that overlaps with MSA's mineralogy/geochemistry audience through applied earth-science research and publication activities.

Emerging players

• Clay Minerals Society: Niche international society focused specifically on clay mineralogy; publishes Clays and Clay Minerals journal and overlaps with MSA's mineralogy audience in a specialized subdiscipline.
• Meteoritical Society: International scientific society for meteoritics and planetary science; publishes Meteoritics & Planetary Science and intersects with MSA's planetary-materials research community.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses2 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/146637322076348
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC7uoDeYnAw_4G_JbbpQ7j9g
• Facebookfacebook.com/146637322076348
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mineralogical-society-of-america

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Mineralogical Society Of America