(ORDO NEWS) — Researchers at the Canadian University of Alberta have found at least two minerals in a sample from a 15-tonne meteorite found in Somalia that have not previously been found on Earth.
Experts do not exclude the possibility of identifying a third mineral.
The new minerals have been named elaliite, after the El Ali meteorite, and elkinstantonite, after planetary scientist Lindy Elkins-Tanton, who will lead the exploration portion of NASA‘s upcoming mission to study the metallic asteroid Psyche.
According to Chris Hurd, a professor in the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Alberta, Chris Hurd, the meteorite was transported to China in search of a potential buyer, so it is not yet known whether it will be possible to obtain samples of it for scientific purposes.
“El Ali” was found in Somalia in 2020. It ranks ninth on the list of the largest meteorites in the world.
Earlier it became known that a resident of Australia, David Hole, found a large boulder, which reacted to the metal detector.
Geologists have found that this is a rare type of meteorite, the found sample is many times more expensive than a gold nugget of the same weight.
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