Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news about fascinating discoveries, scientific advances and more.
CNN
—
Scientists have identified two minerals never before seen on Earth in a meteorite weighing 15.2 metric tons (33,510 pounds).
The mineral was obtained from a 70-gram (nearly 2.5-ounce) slice of a meteorite discovered in Somalia in 2020, the ninth largest meteorite ever discovered. news release From the University of Alberta.
Chris Hurd, curator of the university’s meteorite collection, received a sample of the space rock and made it available for classification. As he was examining it, something unusual caught his eye — some parts of the sample were unidentifiable under the microscope. I asked a certain Andrew Rocock for advice. Because Rocock has experience explaining new minerals.
“The first day he did some analysis, he said, ‘There are at least two new minerals out there,'” Hurd, a professor in the university’s Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, said in a statement. . “It was amazing. Most of the time it takes a lot more work than that to say there is a new mineral.”
One mineral’s name, ellalite, is derived from the cosmic object itself called the “El Ali” meteorite, as it was found near the town of El Ali in central Somalia.
Herd named the second elkinstantonite after Lindy Elkins-Tanton, vice president of interplanetary initiatives at Arizona State University. Elkins-Tanton is also Professor Regent of the University’s School of Earth and Space Exploration and Principal Investigator of NASA’s upcoming research program. Psyche Mission — Journey to a metal-rich asteroid orbiting the Sun between Mars and Jupiter, According to the space agency.
“Lindy is about how planetary cores form, how these iron-nickel cores form, and the closest analogues we have are iron meteorites. “We’ve done a lot of research,” Hurd said. “It makes sense to name the mineral after her and recognize her contribution to science.”
The approval of two new minerals by the International Mineralogical Society this November “shows that work is solid,” says Oliver Tschauner, a mineralogist and research professor in the Department of Geosciences at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. said.
“Whenever a new mineral is found, it means that the actual geological conditions, the chemistry of the rock, were different from what was previously found,” says Herd. “That’s what makes this exciting. This particular meteorite has two scientifically new, formulaically described minerals.”
According to a University of Alberta release, Lowcock said similar minerals had previously been created synthetically, allowing rapid identification and matching the composition of the newly discovered minerals to their man-made counterparts. I was.
“Materials scientists do this all the time,” says Alan Rubin, a meteorite scientist and former adjunct professor and research geochemist in the Department of Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences at the University of California, Los Angeles. “They can create new compounds. One is just to see what is physically possible as a research interest, and others are … ‘Practical, such as conductivity or high strain.’ Or looking for compounds with specific properties for commercial use. Or high melting temperatures.
“When researchers discover minerals in hitherto unknown meteorites and rocks of the Earth, very often the same compounds have been created before by materials scientists.”
Both new minerals are iron phosphates, Tschauner said. Phosphates are salts or esters of phosphoric acid.
“Phosphates in iron meteorites are secondary products. They are formed by the oxidation of phosphides…a rare major constituent of iron meteorites,” he said by email. “Thus, the two new phosphates tell us about the oxidation process that occurred in the meteorite’s material. It is not yet known whether the oxidation occurred in space or on Earth after the crash, but I know As far as many of these meteorite phosphates were formed in space. In both cases, the reactant that caused the oxidation was probably water.”
The discovery was announced at the University of Alberta Space Exploration Symposium in November. The discovery “broadens our view of the natural materials that can be found and formed in the solar system,” Rubin said.
Hurd said the El Ali meteorite from which the mineral originated was likely sent to China in search of a buyer.
In the meantime, researchers are still analyzing minerals, and possibly a third, to see what the meteorite was like when the space rock formed. He added that it could have exciting implications for the future.
“Whenever a new material is known, materials scientists are also interested because of its potential use in different parts of society,” says Herd.
