Posted on 04/06/2011 1:46:21 PM PDT by decimon
A meteorite discovered in Antarctica in 1969 has just divulged a modern secret: a new mineral, now called Wassonite.
The new mineral found in the 4.5-billion-year-old meteorite was tiny less than one-hundredth as wide as a human hair. Still, that was enough to excite the researchers who announced the discovery Tuesday (April 5). [Image of new mineral]
"Wassonite is a mineral formed from only two elements, sulfur and titanium, yet it possesses a unique crystal structure that has not been previously observed in nature," NASA space scientist Keiko Nakamura-Messenger said in a statement.
The mineral's name, approved by the International Mineralogical Association, honors John T. Wasson, a UCLA professor known for his achievements across a broad swath of meteorite and impact research.
Grains of Wassonite were analyzed from the meteorite that has been officially designated Yamato 691 enstatite chondrite. Chondrites are primitive meteorites that scientists think were remnants shed from the original building blocks of planets. Most meteorites found on Earth fit into this group.
Yamato 691 likely originated from an asteroid orbiting between Mars and Jupiter. It was discovered along with eight other meteorites by members of the Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition on the blue ice field of the Yamato Mountains. They constituted the first significant recovery of Antarctic meteorites. Follow-up searches by scientists from Japan and the United States have recovered more than 40,000 specimens, including rare Martian and lunar meteorites.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
Wasson’s wassup ping.
and they know this minute meteor is 4.5 billion years how?
It had a receipt from Walmart stuck to it that was dated 3/13/4,512,003,473 BC
I saw a program on Science recently that talked about the astroids that orbit Jupiter. Sometimes they get so close to Jupiter that Jupiter bounces them out of its atmosphere and when that happens, they may have a new orbit that can take them directly to Earth.
Titanium and sulfur? Strong but smells bad, kind of like the guy that picks up our trash.
They know because the rock pegged out the 6K limit of their age meter.
LOL
Your a strong man Jack
Aye, a might too strong
A variety of radioistope decay techniques, including Samarium and other elements.
WASSONITE !
Reardon metal?
I wonder if i included this new mineral into my dietary supplements maybe i would gain super-human strength, like Superman.
Probably from Uranium-238, it has a half-life of 4.468 billion years.
So...............when does exploratory mining operations begin in and near the asteroid belt?????
This meteor’s “new” element, never observed in nature before now, has been observed in implants removed from abductees by that doctor in California. I remember reading a lab analysis of the material being described as extra-terrestial consisting of sulphur and titanium.
I hope he sees this.
That looks like a woman’s, you know, reproductive entrance!
Now called a Wassonite! lol
LMAO! “Hey, honey. How about we hit the Wassonite. Tonight.”
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