Canadian researchers have discovered two minerals inside a meteorite that have never been seen on Earth before.
The 15-ton El Ali meteorite was discovered near the Somali city of the same name in 2020.
A single 70-gram slice was sent to researchers at the University of Alberta, who were impressed by the “phenomenal” find it produced.
A sample of the El Ali meteorite found in 2020 has two new minerals never seen on Earth. “Whenever you find a new mineral, it means that the actual geological conditions, the chemistry of the rock, were different from what had been found before,” said Professor Chris Herd from the Department of Earth Sciences and University atmosphere in a statement. .
“That’s what makes this exciting: In this particular meteorite you have two officially described minerals that are new to science.”
Scientists also believe a third could be discovered in the small sample.
The two newly discovered minerals have been named elaliite and elkinstantonite – the former by El Ali, and the latter by Professor Lindy Elkins-Tanton of Arizona State University, who Herd said was a leading researcher on planet formation .
The minerals could provide clues about the formation of the meteorite. (Getty)
The University of Alberta analysts found the new minerals very quickly, Herd said.
“That was phenomenal. Most of the time it takes a lot more work than that,” he said.
Researchers continue to examine the minerals to determine what they can reveal about the conditions of the meteorite when it formed.
“That’s my experience: how the geological processes and the geological history of the asteroid that this rock was part of show up,” Herd said.
“I never thought I would be involved in describing new minerals just by virtue of working on a meteorite.”
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Herd also said that any new mineral discoveries could yield exciting new uses in the future.
“Whenever a new material is known, materials scientists are also interested because of the potential uses in a wide range of things in society,” he said.
The whereabouts of the rest of the meteorite is uncertain, though Herd said it may have been moved to China in search of a potential buyer.
It remains to be seen if additional samples can be obtained.