Inside the meteorite that fell to Earth, scientists discovered a type of super diamond.
Cross-section of the meteorite containing super diamond. (Photo: Science Alert).
On September 4, 1886, a meteorite was found in the village of Urey in the Republic of Mordovia (Russia), later named ureilite after the village. Ureilite is a rare type of meteorite, accounting for only 0.6% of all meteorites recorded to have fallen to Earth. Not only is ureilite rare, but it is also special because of its age, which is estimated at 4.6 billion years, dating back to the time of the Sun.
The meteorite has always been preserved in a museum. After a period of study, experts from the Institute of Crystallography and the Institute of Plasma Science and Technology announced that they had found a significant amount of diamond in a piece of ureilite. The hexagonal diamonds discovered within the meteorite were subsequently named lonsdaleite. This diamond material is primarily encapsulated within the graphite layer present in the meteorite.
Scientists support the hypothesis that the diamonds found were formed when this planetary fragment collided with Earth. They believe that when a meteorite falls to Earth, the heat and pressure from the impact can transform the graphite components in the rock into diamonds.
Like graphite, charcoal, and diamond, lonsdaleite is a special structural form of carbon. It features a structure composed of carbon atoms with four tightly bonded electrons, making the entire structure strong enough to form one of the hardest crystals on Earth.
The crystal structure of lonsdaleite also perfectly preserves the hexagonal shape of graphite, enhancing the material’s hardness and making it “superior” to diamonds found on Earth.
