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While
studying a meteorite which fell to Earth in the1960s, scientists have
discovered one of the oldest minerals in the solar system. The new material,
Panguite, could provide clues as to how our planet was formed.
"It's
brand new to science," said
geologist Chi Ma, from Caltech.
"Panguite
is an especially exciting discovery since it is not only a new mineral, but
also a material previously unknown."
Panguite
is named in honor of Pan Gu, the creator of the universe in Chinese mythology.
The
mineral arrived on Earth as part of the Allende meteorite in 1969. A so-called
“primitive” meteorite, it is more than 4.5 billion years old and contains
substances that have changed the least since our solar system appeared. Many of
its fragments appeared tens of millions of years before Earth itself was
formed.
Known
as “the most-studied meteorite in history” it has produced hundreds of
discoveries.
Chi
Ma has been studying a fragment of Allende since 2007 and has already
identified nine other new minerals.
Ma
says that apart from Panguite’s theoretical value, its unique chemical
composition and molecular structure could make it useful for engineers looking
for new synthetic materials.
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