Researchers have discovered one of the rarest minerals on the planet in samples removed from a crater formed by a meteorite impact in Australia. A graduate student, Morgan Cox, from Curtin University's School of Geology and Planetary Sciences, suggested re-examining material collected 17 years ago.
The mineral reidite forms only when zircon, a more common ore, is subjected to extreme pressures, such as those created by meteorite impacts. This is the sixth time we have found reidite on earth. The find is important because it indicates that Woodleigh Crater may be larger than previously thought. The pressure needed to create reidite would be higher than what was thought to have reached Australia at Woodleigh.
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According to one of the study's authors, Aaron Cavosie, in an interview with the BBC, “There aren't many impact craters on Earth larger than 100 km in diameter. When they reach more than 100km in diameter, they fall into a class of impact events that are large enough to cause mass extinctions and influence biological evolution.” Therefore, the discovery of a new crater of this size could alter our understanding of past geological events.
According to Cavosie, samples from the center of the crater have been stored at the Geological Survey of Western Australia for nearly 20 years. The ore was found as a result of research by graduate student Morgan Cox, who “finished her project with us this year and wants to do a PhD in Planetary Sciences. I can't imagine a better start to his career," according to Cavosie.
