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Elkinstantonite

Mineral From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Elkinstantonite /ˌɛlkɪnzˈtæntənt/ is a mineral with formula Fe4(PO4)2O that was first generated in a laboratory in the 1980s[1] and first identified from natural origins in 2022, when the official mineral designation was also given. It is monoclinic, with space group P21/c (space group 14).[2]

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History

Elkinstantonite was first identified in nature by scientists from the University of Alberta who were given a 70-gram piece of an ancient 15-ton El Ali meteorite that landed in Somalia and was first noticed by the international scientific community in 2020.[3] Elkinstantonite was named after NASA scientist Lindy Elkins-Tanton.[3]

The mineral was identified by Andrew Locock who is employed by the university as the head of its electron microprobe laboratory,[4] and classified by geologist Chris Herd.[5] Locock also identified the first natural specimen of elaliite in the same sample.[6]

Synthetic versions of elkinstantonite were produced in a French laboratory in the 1980s, but could not be categorised as a mineral until they were found in nature.[4]

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References

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