Researchers discover a unique mineral in unprecedented nature in a meteorite

California researchers have discovered a unique mineral, unprecedented in nature, in a meteorite discovered in southern Australia in 1951, where the new metal was named Edscottite, a tribute to cosmologist Edward Scott. It is thought that the meteorite in the study comes from a planet in explosion, in a possible collision with another cosmic object.

Previous studies have revealed that the meteorite contains traces of iron and gold, as well as rare minerals such as kamacite, schreibersite, taenite and troilite.

During the study of a slice of meteorite, the Chi Ma metallurgy of the California Institute of Technology, in collaboration with geologist Alan Rubin of the University of California at Los Angeles, discovered small cracks in iron carbide, of an unprecedented nature.

"The new metal was named in honor of Edward Scott, one of the leading cosmologists of the University of Hawaii at Manoa, for his vital contribution to the research of meteorites, "the researchers wrote.

Under the electron microscope, the edscottite is in the form of small white crystals, found in thin slices between surrounding materials. This crystalline form is unusual compared to other carbon-rich minerals found in iron-based meteorites.

The researchers think that this is the result of the formation of edscottite very quickly, after the initial material has become an excess of carbon.

The artificial edscottite has been known for decades, where the metal is produced during the process of melting the iron that eventually creates steel.

However, the metal must be found naturally, before it is officially recognized by the International Metal Association.

The complete results of the study were published in the American Mineralogist.

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