Two new minerals discovered. Scientists found them in a 15.2 ton meteorite found in Somalia and named them elaliite and elkinstantonite. According to reports from CNN, it was he who made the discovery Chris HerdProfessor of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Alberta who analyzed samples of the meteorite found in the African country in 2020.
The scientist found that some parts of the sample were not identifiable under the microscope. Herd, assisted by another expert, thus identified the two new minerals. “Phenomenal – he said – most of the time it takes a lot more work to say that there is a new mineral.”
One of the minerals was named elaliite, after the same space rock that was renamed El Ali because it was found near the town of El Ali in central Somalia, and the second was renamed in honor of elkinstantonite Lindy Elkins-Tantonthe vice president of the Interplanetary Initiative at Arizona State University.
The discovery was approved by the International Mineralogical Association last November.