Two minerals never before seen on Earth have been identified in a meteorite from the weight of 15.2 tons, the ninth largest ever found on the planet. The professor Chris Herdwho is responsible for the mineral collection of the University of Alberta Canada received a rock sample for grading. Examining it, he noticed that some parts of the specimen could not be identified under a microscope. To determine if it was a substance never seen before, he asked the professor for help Andrew LocockHead of the laboratory of electronic microprobes at the university, which quickly determined that the unknown substances were two minerals never seen before. It’s about two iron phosphatesbut it is not excluded that there is a third one that is still in the analysis phase.
The meaning of the result
An extraordinary result: “In most cases it is much more difficult to find a new ore‘ Herd explained in a statement picked up by CNN. One of the two minerals was named elaliite, in honor of the meteorite whose name is “El Ali”, which in turn bears the name of the meteorite Somali city where it was found. The second of the minerals was named elkinstantonite in honor Lindy Elkins-TantonVice President of the University of Arizona’s Interplanetary Initiative, as well as Principal Investigator for NASA’s Psyche mission, which is about to depart Search for new metals between Mars and Jupiter. The launch is scheduled for October 1, 2023.
Identification thanks to synthetic minerals
“The discovery is particularly important because when new minerals are found, it means that theThe geological conditions under which they were formed and the chemical composition of the rocks are different from those known prior to discovery,” Herd explained. “That’s what makes the discovery so exciting,” he concluded. The professor also explained that the identification was so quick because similar minerals had already been synthesized in the laboratory. Scientists do this all the time, he explained Alan RubinSubject matter expert at the University of California. “We often try to make substances that have certain properties that are useful for commercial purposes, such as high conductivity or a high melting temperature.”
Cover photo: Nick Gessler/Duke University
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