New minerals fall from the sky
05 January 2023
In a large meteorite found in Somalia in 2020, Canadian researchers from the University of Alberta have found fragments of two unknown minerals. The meteorite, dubbed El Ali after the name of the town that lies a short distance from the impact site, is truly enormous: at over 15 tonnes, it is one of the largest ever found on Earth. Chemically, the new minerals are iron phosphates, i.e. crystals containing iron and phosphorus atoms that form a regular structure. In photos, the minerals have a metallic appearance. One of the two new minerals has been named elaliite after the city and the meteorite, while the other is called elkinstantonite: a name chosen to celebrate Lindy Elkins-Tanton, a very prominent scientist, vice-president of Arizona State University's Interplanetary Initiative and a lifelong student of planets.
