Scientists are studying a mineral that is older than Earth: it is 4.6 billion years old
Scientists continue to study one of the oldest known minerals in the Solar System—crotite—which formed even before the Earth came into existence. This unique cosmic material was found in the NWA 1934 meteorite, discovered in Africa.
According to researchers’ estimates, crocite formed about 4.6 billion years ago in the protoplanetary disk around the young Sun—during a period when the planets of the Solar System were just beginning to form.
The peculiarity of the mineral lies in the fact that its formation requires extremely high temperatures—over 1,500 degrees Celsius—under very low pressure. Such conditions existed only during the early stages of the Solar System’s formation and are not characteristic of modern Earth.
Crotite consists of calcium, aluminum, and oxygen. Interestingly, its chemical analogue is used in the production of high-strength calcium aluminate cement, although the atomic structure of the natural cosmic mineral differs from that of the industrial material.
According to scientists, crotit has become a kind of “time capsule” that allows us to study the processes of the formation of the first solid bodies in the Solar System. Thanks to its study, astronomers have obtained new data on the chemical reactions and conditions that preceded the formation of planets.
In addition to krottite, even older particles are found in meteorites—so-called presolar grains, which formed around stars that existed before the Sun was born. Studying them helps scientists reconstruct the history of the formation of the matter from which planets and life eventually emerged.
Source: The Independent, ZME Science.
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