Researchers Found Two New Minerals from El Ali Meteorite
Written by Reananda Hidayat Permono
Completed Master of Science - MS, Petroleum Geology from Curtin University, Perth, Australia.
Scientists have identified two new minerals that don’t naturally form on Earth in a meteorite weighing 33,510 pounds (15.2 metric tonnes).
The meteorite was found in Somalia in 2020 and became the ninth-largest meteorite ever found.
The caretaker of the University of Alberta’s meteorite collection, Chris Herd, received the meteorite samples but couldn’t identify some parts of them.
Later, he did seek advice from the head of the university’s Electron Microprobe Laboratory, Andrew Locock.
On the first day of examining it, he said there were at least two new minerals in the sample.
It was outstanding, as it usually takes a lot of work to claim there is a new mineral.
The first mineral is named elaliite, which comes from the meteorite’s name as it was discovered near El Ali Town in central Somalia.
The second one is called elkinstantonite, after the vice president of Arizona University’s Interplanetary Initiative name Lindy Elkins-Tanton.
She is also the principal investigator of the NASA Psyche mission - a journey to find an asteroid between Jupiter and Mars.
The International Mineralogical Association gave approval for the two new minerals and indicated the work is robust.
Finding a new mineral is exciting as it indicates the different chemistry of the rock and geological conditions.
Two new minerals from the El Ali meteorite are phosphates of iron.