A team of researchers has discovered at least two new minerals that have never before been seen on Earth in a 15 tonne meteorite found in Somalia — the ninth largest meteorite ever found.
The two newly discovered minerals have been named elaliite and elkinstantonite. The first receives its name from the meteorite itself, dubbed the “El Ali” meteorite because it was found in near the town of El Ali, in the Hiiraan region of Somalia. second mineral named after Lindy Elkins-Tanton, vice president of the ASU Interplanetary Initiative, professor at Arizona State University’s School of Earth and Space Exploration and principal investigator of NASA’s upcoming Psyche mission.
largest meteorite to hit Earth
The largest meteorite to hit Earth is believed to be the Hoba meteorite, which is thought to have struck the Earth around 80,000 years ago in what is now Namibia. The Hoba meteorite is a massive iron meteorite that weighs an estimated 66 tons and measures about 9 feet long, 9 feet wide, and 3 feet thick. It is the largest known meteorite in the world and is considered a national treasure in Namibia.
There have been other large meteorites that have struck the Earth throughout history, including the Chelyabinsk meteorite, which struck Russia in 2013, and the Tunguska meteorite, which struck Siberia in 1908. However, these meteorites were much smaller in size compared to the Hoba meteorite.
