A team of scientists has foundtame, considered unot one of the first minerals formed in our solar system, in themeteorite NWA 1934, found in northwestern Africa. The object, described as arefractory inclusion rich in calcium-aluminum, dates from before the formation of the Earth and other planets. The term “refractory” refers to the fact that these grains contain minerals that remain stable at very high temperatures, which is proof of their age. The results of the study have been published in the journalAmerican Mineralogist.
The fragment, known by the nickname “cracked egg” because of its peculiar appearance, was analyzed by Chi Ma of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and by Anthony Kampf, Curator of Mineral Sciences at the Museum of History A native of Los Angeles (NHM), he used X-ray diffraction to determine its composition. The results of both showed that the main component of the grain was alow pressure calcium aluminum oxide (CaAl2O4)never before observed in nature.
Furthermore, the arrangement of the atoms in the mineral revealed that it was the same as that of an artificial component of some types of refractory concrete. The creation of this compound by man requires a temperature of at least 1,500ºC. This, coupled with the fact of low pressure composite shapes, confirms thatkrotite was able to form in the initial phases of the primordial solar nebula, from which all the planets later formed.
