Two Minerals Never Before Been Seen On Earth Found Inside 17-Ton Meteorite (livescience.com) 14
Two minerals that have never been seen before on Earth have been discovered inside a massive meteorite in Somalia. They could hold important clues to how asteroids form. Live Science reports: The two brand new minerals were found inside a single 2.5 ounce (70 gram) slice taken from the 16.5 ton (15 metric tons) El Ali meteorite, which was found in 2020. Scientists named the minerals elaliite after the meteor and elkinstantonite after Lindy Elkins-Tanton(opens in new tab), the managing director of the Arizona State University Interplanetary Initiative and principal investigator of NASA's upcoming Psyche mission, which will send a probe to investigate the mineral-rich Psyche asteroid for evidence of how our solar system's planets formed.
The researchers classified El Ali as an Iron IAB complex meteorite, a type made of meteoric iron flecked with tiny chunks of silicates. While investigating the meteorite slice, details of the new minerals caught the scientists' attention. By comparing the minerals with versions of them that had been previously synthesized in a lab, they were able to rapidly identify them as newly recorded in nature. The researchers plan to investigate the meteorites further in order to understand the conditions under which their parent asteroid formed. The team is also looking into material science applications of the minerals. However, future scientific insights from the El Ali meteorite could be in peril. 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. "Whenever you find a new mineral, it means that the actual geological conditions, the chemistry of the rock, was different than what's been found before," Chris Herd, a professor in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Alberta, said in a statement. "That's what makes this exciting: In this particular meteorite you have two officially described minerals that are new to science."
The researchers classified El Ali as an Iron IAB complex meteorite, a type made of meteoric iron flecked with tiny chunks of silicates. While investigating the meteorite slice, details of the new minerals caught the scientists' attention. By comparing the minerals with versions of them that had been previously synthesized in a lab, they were able to rapidly identify them as newly recorded in nature. The researchers plan to investigate the meteorites further in order to understand the conditions under which their parent asteroid formed. The team is also looking into material science applications of the minerals. However, future scientific insights from the El Ali meteorite could be in peril. 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. "Whenever you find a new mineral, it means that the actual geological conditions, the chemistry of the rock, was different than what's been found before," Chris Herd, a professor in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Alberta, said in a statement. "That's what makes this exciting: In this particular meteorite you have two officially described minerals that are new to science."
Modern naming approaches (Score:3, Funny)
named the minerals elaliite after the meteor and elkinstantonite after Lindy Elkins-Tanton (opens in new tab)
Since she's from an Arizona university perhaps that is her American Indian name.
Nice to see Indian names are keeping up with technology.
Re: (Score:2)
No mod points, so you get this virtual acknowledgment of your funnies. 10/10
Re: Modern naming approaches (Score:3)
Re: (Score:2)
Apparently the lab in which the minerals were previously synthesized, was not on earth. So which planet are these guys from?
Krypton [wikipedia.org], where krypton [wikipedia.org] is from.
Re: Modern naming approaches (Score:2)
I think that's new tab, Delaware. I grew up there. As a teen, we'd go across the border to reload, Maryland for cheap beer.
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Gotta say, reload sounds more like a place in Texas.
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In some parts of Maryland, people think they're in Texas.
Great point (Score:1)
I think that's new tab, Delaware.
I hadn't considered that an origin - also, possibly a mis-edited description of her soda preference!
Or maybe that's even where the soda comes from, what a connection!
Re: (Score:2)
Not naming it Sally-Struthersite or Star-Vinmarvinite.. sheesh
Red danger from outer space! (Score:1)
M'Lady (Score:1)
Missing Content (Score:5, Informative)
Ya know, I've got a girlfriend. She lives in Canada. [youtube.com] I met her in Niagara Falls. You wouldn't know her.
Chasing links, I eventually get to a recorded video from a symposium [ualberta.ca]. About 10 minutes in we get to the novel content. One of the minerals, elaliite, is described as Fe9PO12 - an iron phosphate (13:20 into the video). The other, elkinstantonite, is Fe4(PO4)2O - another iron phosphate (13:50). The electron micrographs are very pretty.
brave meteorite (Score:1)
This brave meteorite had a pair big enough that it decided it could take on a planet. A noment of silence.
Wikipedia Entries on the Two Minerals (Score:5, Interesting)
Both articles note that synthetic versions of each mineral were produced in the 1980s, but neither could be categorized officially as a mineral until they were found in nature.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]