Tuesday, March 19, 2024
Contact    |    RSS icon Twitter icon Facebook icon  
Unexplained Mysteries
You are viewing: Home > News > Space & Astronomy > News story
Welcome Guest ( Login or Register )  
All ▾
Search Submit

Space & Astronomy

Two never-before-seen 'alien' minerals found inside a meteorite

By T.K. Randall
November 29, 2022 · Comment icon 9 comments

The minerals were found inside a small slice of the meteorite. Image Credit: University of Alberta
A 17-ton meteorite that landed in Somalia has been found to contain two minerals never seen on Earth before.
It's perhaps hard to imagine that there exist minerals in the universe that are not found natively on Earth, but this fact was brought into sharp focus recently when scientists sliced up a very large meteorite and found two minerals inside that are not found on our planet at all.

The huge space rock, which weighs a whopping 17 tons, fell to Earth in El Ali, Somalia in 2020.

The two new minerals were discovered inside a 2.5-ounce slice removed from the main meteorite.

Scientists have since named them elaliite (after the meteorite itself) and elkinstantonite (after Lindy Elkins-Tanton, the managing director of the Arizona State University Interplanetary Initiative).
The find is significant because it could help to teach us more about the formation of the solar system.

"Whenever you find a new mineral, it means that the actual geological conditions, the chemistry of the rock, was different than what's been found before," said the University of Alberta's Chris Herd.

"That's what makes this exciting: In this particular meteorite you have two officially described minerals that are new to science."

Work on studying the new minerals remains ongoing.

Source: Live Science | Comments (9)




Other news and articles
Recent comments on this story
Comment icon #1 Posted by jethrofloyd 1 year ago
They might find the Superman's a green, crystalline mineral Kryptonite.
Comment icon #2 Posted by and-then 1 year ago
15 tons?  I had no idea they could survive at that size.
Comment icon #3 Posted by quiXilver 1 year ago
I've got a reliable source...
Comment icon #4 Posted by the13bats 1 year ago
Comment icon #5 Posted by Myles 1 year ago
Am I the only one that found this line odd?  Maybe it is just me, but I would expect there to be minerals in the universe that are not found natively on Earth. "It's perhaps hard to imagine that there exist minerals in the universe that are not found natively on Earth"
Comment icon #6 Posted by Jon the frog 1 year ago
The rock didn't fell in 2020, it was identified in 2020. It was a known rock for ages. https://www.lpi.usra.edu/meteor/metbull.php?code=74444  
Comment icon #7 Posted by Robotic Jew 1 year ago
I thought the same thing when I read it. Given the size differences of the 2 at the least you'd think it would be more likely for stuff to exist we've never seen before. But I'm not a scientist so maybe I'm missing some information about possible known combinations of crap or something. 
Comment icon #8 Posted by joc 1 year ago
15 tons and what do you get?  Two new minerals and deeper in debt.
Comment icon #9 Posted by and-then 1 year ago
I did a bit of digging to see just how big these things can be.  I'd have thought one of this size would have created a tremendous impact crater and or damage as it came to earth.  Seems there are several that were larger. https://www.sciencealert.com/these-are-the-6-biggest-meteorites-to-ever-to-be-found-on-earth


Please Login or Register to post a comment.


Our new book is out now!
Book cover

The Unexplained Mysteries
Book of Weird News

 AVAILABLE NOW 

Take a walk on the weird side with this compilation of some of the weirdest stories ever to grace the pages of a newspaper.

Click here to learn more

We need your help!
Patreon logo

Support us on Patreon

 BONUS CONTENT 

For less than the cost of a cup of coffee, you can gain access to a wide range of exclusive perks including our popular 'Lost Ghost Stories' series.

Click here to learn more

Recent news and articles