Elaliite
An iron phosphate oxide first found in the El Ali iron meteorite from Somalia.
Key facts
- Formula
- Fe2+8Fe3+(PO4)O8
- Family
- Phosphates
- Crystal system
- Orthorhombic
- First described
- the El Ali iron meteorite, 2022
Elaliite was approved as a new mineral in 2022 from a slice of the El Ali iron meteorite, a mass of about 15 tonnes found in the El Ali district of Somalia. It is named after the district. The same compound had been made in a laboratory decades earlier.
What it is
Elaliite is an iron oxide that also contains a phosphate group, with iron in two states of oxidation. It is a rare example of a mineral that was known as a synthetic compound before it was found in nature.
Where it is found
It occurs in tiny inclusions in the El Ali iron, which belongs to the IAB complex of iron meteorites. Two other new minerals, elkinstantonite and olsenite, were found in the same slice.
How it is recognised
It is identified by electron microprobe analysis and electron diffraction of grains only a few micrometres across.
Did you know?
The El Ali meteorite had been known to local people for generations before scientists studied it in 2020.
Three new minerals were found in a single 70-gram slice of it.