University of Alberta researchers identify new minerals in meteorite
Researchers from the University of Alberta are part of a team that has discovered at least two minerals never before seen on earth.
The newly named elaliite and elkinstantonite were found in a small sample of the 15-tonne El Ali meteorite from Somalia, which was sent to the U of A for classification.
“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 Chris Herd, a professor in the U of A's department of Earth and atmospheric sciences and curator of the university's meteorite collection, in a press release.
“That’s what makes this exciting. In this particular meteorite you have two officially described minerals that are new to science.”
Herd worked in collaboration with researchers from the University of California and the California Institute of Technology to classify the El Ali meteorite as an "Iron, IAB complex" meteorite.
During the classification process, he noticed the new minerals.
To confirm the discovery, he brought in another U of A researcher, Andrew Locock, head of the university's electron microprobe laboratory.
Because the minerals have been synthetically created before, Locock was able to identify them quickly.
“The very first day he did some analyses, he said, ‘You’ve got at least two new minerals in there,’” says Herd. “That was phenomenal. Most of the time it takes a lot more work than that to say there’s a new mineral.”
Elaliite was named after the meteorite and the region where it was found, near the town of El Ali in the Hiiraan region.
Herd decided to name Elkinstantonite after fellow scientist, Lindy Elkins-Tanton, vice president of the Arizona State University Interplanetary Initiative and principal investigator of NASA's upcoming Psyche mission.
“Lindy has done a lot of work on how the cores of planets form, how these iron nickel cores form, and the closest analogue we have are iron meteorites," Herd said. "So it made sense to name a mineral after her and recognize her contributions to science."
A third, potentially new, mineral from the sample is being considered and Herd said more might be found if additional samples were sent from El Ali.
For now, researchers are studying the new minerals to see what they can learn about the conditions surrounding the meteorite when it formed.
“That’s my expertise — how you tease out the geologic processes and the geologic history of the asteroid this rock was once part of,” says Herd. “I never thought I’d be involved in describing brand new minerals just by virtue of working on a meteorite.”
Herd presented his findings at the Space Exploration Symposium on Nov. 21.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Pilot reported fire onboard plane carrying fuel, attempted to return to Fairbanks just before crash
One of the two pilots aboard an airplane carrying fuel reported there was a fire on the airplane shortly before it crashed and burned outside Fairbanks, killing both people on board, a federal aviation official said Wednesday.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
7 surveillance videos linked to extortions of South Asian home builders in Edmonton released
The Edmonton Police Service has released a number of surveillance videos related to a series of extortion cases in the city now dubbed 'Project Gaslight.'
Ukraine uses long-range missiles secretly provided by U.S. to hit Russian-held areas, officials say
Ukraine for the first time has begun using long-range ballistic missiles provided secretly by the United States, bombing a Russian military airfield in Crimea last week and Russian forces in another occupied area overnight, American officials said Wednesday.
Manitoba government tables bill to end ban on homegrown recreational cannabis
Manitoba is planning to lift its ban on the home growing of recreational cannabis.