In a meteorite weighing 15.2 metric tonnes, scientists have discovered two minerals that have never before been observed on Earth. According to a press release from the University of Alberta, the minerals came from a slice of the meteorite that weighed 70 grammes (almost 2.5 ounces), the ninth-largest meteorite ever found. It was found in Somalia in 2020. The space rock was divided into different categories by Chris Herd, curator of the university's meteorite collection.

 He was looking at it when he noticed something odd: some of the sample's components couldn't be seen under a microscope. Andrew Locock, director of the university's Electron Microprobe Laboratory, was then consulted for help because Locock has knowledge of describing new minerals.  You have at least two new minerals in there, he noted on the very first day he performed some analysis. 

Herd, a professor in the school's Earth and atmospheric sciences department, stated in a statement. 'That was extraordinary. Saying there is a new mineral is typically far more difficult than that.' Elaliite, the name of one mineral, is derived from the name of the space object, which is known as the 'El Ali' meteorite since it was discovered close to the town of El Ali in central Somalia. 

Herd gave the second one the name elkinstantonite in honour of Lindy Elkins-Tanton, vice president of the Interplanetary Initiative at Arizona State University. Elkins-Tanton is the principal investigator of NASA's upcoming Psyche mission, which will travel to a metal-rich asteroid that is orbiting the sun between Mars and Jupiter. 

He is also a regents professor in that university's School of Earth and Space Exploration. Herd stated, 'Lindy has done a great deal of work on how the cores of planets form, how these iron nickel cores form, and the closest analogue we have are iron meteorites. 'It felt fitting to honour her contributions to science by naming a mineral after her.'

 Oliver Tschauner, a mineralogist and professor of research in the department of geology at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, said that the International Mineralogical Association's recognition of the two new minerals in November of this year 'indicates that the work is strong.'

Every time a new mineral is discovered, Herd explained, it indicates that the rock's chemistry and actual geological conditions were different from those of previously discovered minerals. This particular meteorite has two officially described new minerals, which is what makes it exciting. 

According to a press statement from the University of Alberta, Locock was able to quickly identify the newly discovered minerals since comparable minerals had previously been synthesised, and he was able to match the composition of the newly discovered minerals with their artificial equivalents.

According to Herd, the El Ali meteorite from which the materials were extracted looks to have been sent to China in search of a buyer. In the meantime, scientists continue to examine the minerals, as well as perhaps a third, to learn more about the meteorite's formation environment. And recently found minerals might have fascinating long-term effects, he continued.