By : Inspenet, December 2, 2022
Scientists at the Institute for Space Science Exploration and Technology at the University of Alberta (Canada) discovered two new minerals in the chunk of a large 15-tonne meteorite that fell in Somalia. There is a third mineral that is being investigated. The discoveries have been made in a sample of only 70 grams, so it could be feasible to learn more details in the future.
The El Ali meteorite, which is the name given to the rock because it was found in the Somali area, contains at least two minerals known to exist only because they were produced artificially.
“Whenever a new mineral is found it means that the actual geological conditions, the chemistry of the rock, were different from what had been found before,” Professor Chris Herd said in a statement.
Herd found the two new minerals, which he has named elaliite and elkinstonite, after the meteorite and Professor Lindy Elkins-Tanton, respectively. In addition to being vice president of the Arizona State University Interplanetary Initiative, Elkins-Tanton is the principal investigator for the Psyche mission to explore the large, metal-rich asteroid.
“Lindy has worked on how the nuclei of planets form, how these iron and nickel nuclei form, and the closest analogue we have is iron meteorites,” Herd said. “So it made sense to name a mineral after him and recognize his contributions to science.”
Source and internal photo : https://www.globovision.com/curiosidades/133/cientificos-encuentran-dos-minerales-nunca-vistos-en-un-meteorito-de-15-toneladas
Photo : ShutterStock (cover)
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