https://sputnikglobe.com/20221129/scientists-examining-somalia-meteorite-find-two-minerals-never-before-seen-in-nature-1104842562.html
Scientists Examining Somalia Meteorite Find Two Minerals Never Before Seen in Nature
Scientists Examining Somalia Meteorite Find Two Minerals Never Before Seen in Nature
Sputnik International
Meteors and other objects left over from the formation of the solar system are seen as extremely valuable by scientists because they are largely chemically... 29.11.2022, Sputnik International
2022-11-29T20:30+0000
2022-11-29T20:30+0000
2022-11-30T13:01+0000
science & tech
meteorite
iron
minerals
astronomy
somalia
east africa
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Researchers probing a meteorite found in Somalia in 2020 have discovered two minerals never before seen outside of a laboratory.The minerals, dubbed elaliite and elkinstantonite, were found in the El Ali iron meteorite by researchers at the University of Alberta in Canada. The two minerals had only ever been observed after being synthesized in a lab, and never before spotted in nature."That's what makes this exciting: In this particular meteorite you have two officially described minerals that are new to science."Finding new materials in space rocks is not uncommon, since they can come from anywhere in the solar system or even beyond. The scientists hope more new minerals can be found in the El Ali meteorite, but it is reportedly preparing to be sold.
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science & tech, meteorite, iron, minerals, astronomy, somalia, east africa
science & tech, meteorite, iron, minerals, astronomy, somalia, east africa
Scientists Examining Somalia Meteorite Find Two Minerals Never Before Seen in Nature
20:30 GMT 29.11.2022 (Updated: 13:01 GMT 30.11.2022) Meteors and other objects left over from the formation of the solar system are seen as extremely valuable by scientists because they are largely chemically unaltered since that time, whereas rocks on the Earth’s surface have been molded by geological and even human processes.
Researchers probing a meteorite found in Somalia in 2020 have discovered two minerals never before seen outside of a laboratory.
The minerals, dubbed elaliite and elkinstantonite, were found in the El Ali iron meteorite by researchers at the University of Alberta in Canada. The two minerals had only ever been observed after being synthesized in a lab, and never before spotted in nature.
"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 El Ali meteorite is massive, measuring 16.5 tons, and is
categorized as an IAB iron meteorite, meaning its meteoric iron is different from that found here on Earth - it exists in a pure metallic state instead of inside of ore, is often alloyed with nickel, and flecked with bits of silica. It was inside the silica that the new minerals were found.
Finding
new materials in space rocks is not uncommon, since they can come from anywhere in the solar system or even beyond. The scientists hope more new minerals can be found in the El Ali meteorite, but it is reportedly preparing to be sold.
