Scientists have found a mineral lonsdaleite in a sample of four meteorites collected on the African continent. The mineral that 58% stronger than diamonds common, not entirely new, but its properties have only now been revealed.

Yonsdaleite has been found in several meteorites since the 1960s, but because these are very small specimens, it has not been possible to draw conclusions about their structure or origin. Until recently, since the discovery of meteorites, scientists thought that diamond was formed when rock enters the Earth’s atmosphere.

Only recently, the research team of Andrew Tomkins — a future ARC scientist at Monash University’s School of Earth, Atmosphere and Environment — found larger samples, allowing the identification of its chemical structure and hypothesis about its trajectory. Scientists believe lonsdaleite-bearing meteorites were once part of the mantle ancient dwarf planet that collided with an asteroid about 4.5 billion years ago. The information comes from a study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Chemical structure of ionsdaleite

The chemical structure of lonsdaleite is similar to that of diamonds, but instead of having a cubic atomic structure, it has hexagonal designresponsible for the highest degree of hardness.

Hexagonal diamond crystals were created by a reaction between graphite – a carbon structure – and a high-temperature liquid of chemical compounds of hydrogen, methane, oxygen and sulfur. As the environment cooled and the pressure decreased, lonsdaleite was partially replaced by diamond.

Possible uses of lonsdaleite

Since the mineral can be reproduced in the laboratory, it is intended for use in production. super strong tools. In addition to serving as a marker for identify meteoriteslonsdaleitis can also contribute understanding of processes in the universe.

The name of the mineral was given in honor of the British crystallographer Dame Kathleen Lonsdalefirst woman to be elected a fellow of a scientific institution of the Royal Society.

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