Two minerals never seen before on Earth have been found in a large meteorite in Somalia. They could hold important clues about how asteroids formed.
The two new minerals were found in a 70-gram chip recovered from the 16.5-ton (15 metric-ton) Dio meteorite that struck it. a land in 2020. Scientists named the mineral elaliite meteor And again elkinstantonite Lindy Elkin Tanton (Opens in a new tab)interim director of Arizona State University’s Interplanetary Initiative and principal investigator of NASA’s upcoming Psyche mission, which will send probes to probe the mineral-rich psyche asteroid For a guide on how we work Solar systemFormed planets.
“Every time you find a new mineral, it means that the actual geological conditions, the chemistry of the rock, is different from what has been found before,” Chris Hurd (Opens in a new tab)Professor in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences of the University of Alberta declaration (Opens in a new tab). “That’s what makes it interesting: In this particular meteorite, there are two officially described minerals that are new to science.”
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Researchers classify Al-Ali as an iron-IAB complex meteorite, a type of meteorite made of speckled iron with small silicate fragments. While investigating a meteorite slice, new mineral details caught the attention of scientists. By comparing the mineral to previously synthesized copies in the lab, they were able to quickly identify it as newly recorded in the wild.
The researchers plan to investigate the meteorite further to understand the conditions under which the original asteroid formed. “That’s my specialty: how do you know the geological processes and geological history of the asteroids that are part of this rock,” Hurd said. “I never thought I would get involved in completely new mineral descriptions working on meteorites.”
The team is also looking into applications of materials science to metals.
However, future scientific insights from the Al-Ali meteorite may be in jeopardy. 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.
