Minerals found on discovered in 2020 meteoric El Ali, the ninth largest ever found. The rock is two meters wide and weighs 15 tons. The study was conducted by scientists at the Canadian University of Alberta.
Dr Chris Herd, a professor in the Department of Earth and Atmosphere, turned to Andrew Locock for help. The latter informed him on the first day that there were at least two in the sample new minerals.
Two new minerals found on a meteorite
The first of the minerals was baptized “elalite”, from the name of the meteorite, which in turn derives from the village of Somaliawhere it was found. The other is “elkinstantonite”, in honor of Linda Elkins-Tanton, who was the mission’s lead investigator NASA Psyche, whose goal is to send a spaceship to a metal-rich asteroid.
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Although new minerals have never been discovered in nature Earth, were not completely alien to scientists. Similar minerals were created artificially in laboratories in the 80s. It was thanks to this that Andrew Locock was able to recognize so quickly that he was faced with an important discovery. Dr Chirs Herd said he would provide a better understanding of how ‘nature’s laboratory’ works.
Analysis of a third mineral is still underway, which could also prove to be different from those known on Earth. Scientists are also trying to find out what geological conditions led to the formation of minerals. However, this task can be difficult.
Did the meteorite land in China?
The University of Alberta has received only a 70-gram sample of the meteorite. Dr Herd believes that if they could study more samples, they could discover more previously unknown minerals on our planet.
The problem, however, is that the meteorite’s future remains unknown, because as Dr. Herd has heard, the meteorite has gone to Chinwhere a buyer is sought for it. It remains to be seen whether further samples will be donated for scientific purposes.
