Elkinstantonite
An iron phosphate oxide from the El Ali iron meteorite, named after the leader of the Psyche mission.
Key facts
- Formula
- Fe4(PO4)2O
- Family
- Phosphates
- Crystal system
- Monoclinic
- First described
- the El Ali iron meteorite, 2022
Elkinstantonite was approved as a new mineral in 2022 from the El Ali iron meteorite of Somalia. It is named after Lindy Elkins-Tanton, an American planetary scientist who leads NASA's Psyche mission to a metal-rich asteroid.
What it is
Elkinstantonite is an iron phosphate with an extra oxygen atom in its formula. It had been made synthetically before it was found in nature.
Where it is found
It occurs with elaliite and olsenite in tiny inclusions in the El Ali iron meteorite, a member of the IAB complex.
How it is recognised
It is identified by electron microprobe analysis and electron diffraction.
Did you know?
Its namesake studies how the cores of small planets formed, the very place iron meteorites come from.
The Psyche spacecraft was launched in 2023 to visit a metal-rich asteroid.