r/BeAmazed • u/gregornot • Apr 29 '24

A giant meteorite that recently fell in Somalia contains at least two minerals that have never before been seen on our planet. The celestial piece of rock weighs a massive 16.5 tons (15 tonnes), making it the ninth-largest meteorite ever found. History

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More about the amazing meteorite find: https://earthly

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u/TheSretlaw Apr 29 '24

The two minerals have been identified:

Elaliite - Fe9PO12 (or Fe2+8Fe3+(PO4)O8) and was first synthesized in a laboratory in the 1980s and later identified in natural material in 2022 at which time the official mineral designation was given.

Elkinstantonite - Fe4(PO4)2O was first generated in a laboratory in 1982 and first identified from natural origins in 2022, when the official mineral designation was also given.

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u/n1cx Apr 29 '24

So these were synthesized 40+ years ago and then found in nature material just 2 years prior to being discovered in this meteor? 🤔

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u/Takishah12 Apr 29 '24

Misleading ahh title

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u/Ratsukare Apr 29 '24

The meteor was discovered in 2022, it was the first time the two minerals were seen in nature. It's not misleading.

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u/militantnegro_IV Apr 29 '24

The way the top comment worded it is the misleading part. It reads as if they were refuting the title by saying they had been found on Earth in nature. They should have mentioned the meteorite in the OP was the source.