Mineral found in meteorites on the shores of the Dead Sea
An international team of scientists discovered in the vicinity of the Dead Sea a mineral called allabogdanite, which was previously found only in meteorites, according to a joint release from St. Petersburg State University and the Russian Science Foundation.
It is noted that for the first time allabogdanite was found in an iron meteorite in Yakutia. It got its name in honor of the world-famous crystallographer Alla Bogdanova. Scientists attributed the new mineral to phosphides. According to experts, the mineral could have formed under difficult conditions that can be compared with quenching, where temperature and pressure drop simultaneously. Scientists believe that terrestrial allabogdanite appeared at a pressure exceeding 250 thousand atmospheres. This could happen when colliding with large meteorites or deep underground, in the mantle, at a depth of over 500 kilometers.
According to experts, the fact that the mineral was found practically on the surface is very important for science. In their subsequent research, scientists intend to find out how the mineral could get to the surface, as well as in what conditions it could form.
Earlier it was reported that scientists found azovskite (santabarbaraite) in the teeth of the largest shell mollusk cryptochiton Steller, a rare iron mineral that had not previously been found in living organisms.
