Two minerals never before seen on Earth have been discovered inside a huge meteorite in Somalia. They could hold important clues to the formation of asteroids.
The two new minerals were found inside a 2.5-ounce (70-gram) chip taken from the 16.5-tonne (15 metric-ton) meteorite of God, which collided a land In 2020. Scientists named the mineral elaliite meteor And elkinstantonite next Lindy Elkins Tanton (Opens in a new tab)Executive director of Arizona State University’s Interplanetary Initiative and principal investigator of NASA’s upcoming Psyche mission, which will send a probe to investigate mineral-rich Psyche. asteroid To prove how we work solar systemPlanets formed.
“Every time you find a new mineral, it means that the actual geological conditions, the chemistry of the rocks, were different from what was found before,” Chris Hurd (Opens in a new tab)Professor in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Alberta, V.A statement (Opens in a new tab). “That’s what makes it exciting: In this particular meteorite, you have two officially described minerals that are new to science.”
Related: Miners have just discovered the largest pink diamond in over 300 years
The researchers classified al-Ali as an IAB-iron complex meteorite, a type of meteorite iron interspersed with small pieces of silicate. While investigating the meteorite slice, new mineral details caught the scientists’ attention. By comparing the minerals to copies of them previously synthesized in the lab, they were able to quickly identify them as newly recorded in nature.
The researchers plan to study the meteorites further to understand the conditions under which the original asteroid formed. “It’s my expertise – how do you untangle the geological processes and geological history of the asteroid that this rock was a part of,” Hurd said. “I never thought I would be involved in describing new minerals just by working on a meteorite.”
The team is also looking at materials science applications for metals.
However, future scientific knowledge of the Most High meteorite stone may be in jeopardy. The meteorite has now been moved to China in search of a potential buyer, which could limit researchers’ access to the space rock for investigation.