A new mineral — olgafrankite — has been discovered at St. Petersburg State University (SPbSU). It may help in studying the Earth's core and celestial bodies, the university's press service reported.
Olgafrankite is named after Russian geologist, Professor of St. Petersburg University Olga Viktorovna Frank-Kamenetskaya. It was discovered in the rocks of the Norilsk ore region in the Krasnoyarsk Territory. The mineral is identical to an analogue found in the Rumuruti meteorite (a rare class of chondrites).
The mineral can accumulate germanium in oxygen-free conditions, which is important for understanding the formation of celestial bodies and the Earth's core. This discovery will help to study the composition of the cores of planets, as iron meteorites are considered to be fragments of them.
According to the head of the study, Associate Professor of St. Petersburg State University Oleg Vereshchagin, iron and stony-iron meteorites are usually considered parts of the cores of asteroids or the lower mantle of celestial bodies formed at high temperatures and pressures. However, olgafrankite was found in the rocks of the Earth's crust. This may change the understanding of the formation of some celestial bodies.
Scientists have found that the formation of olgafrankite requires rare high temperatures and the presence of carbon in the form of coal. The rocks must also be enriched with nickel and germanium. This discovery shows that natural germanides can form without the involvement of high pressures, which indicates the possibility of their formation close to the Earth's surface.
Earlier, www1.ru reported that Alrosa created "New Sun" — the largest diamond in the history of Russia.
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