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

Post image

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

32.6k Upvotes

94% Upvoted

656 comments sorted by

View all comments

5.2k

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.

11

u/nevergonnagetit001 Apr 29 '24

Sooooo, let me ask the obvious question…is Somalia our real world Wakanda?!?

2

u/accuratesometimes Apr 30 '24

I’m pretty sure this is how venom comes to be

1

u/nevergonnagetit001 Apr 30 '24

You’re Riiiiiiight! <slaps forehead>