CrazyNeutrino said:
A rock from space is giving scientists the first glimpse of a mineral long thought to be the most abundant mineral on Earth
Let me guess. Enstatite? There are enstatite meteorites, they’re far from being the most common but they’re also far from being the rarest. Enstatite is also found on the asteroid Vesta. As “the most abundant mineral on Earth”, the silicate perovskites, are reduced to lower pressure in the upper mantle they become enstatites with a “post-perovskite structure”.
Now to check CN’s link.
The mineral is a high-density version of magnesium iron silicate.
No, that’s different, slightly. Enstatite is a magnesium silicate on the end of the olivine series that grades from magnesium to iron.
The fact that scientists had not found any specimens of magnesium iron silicate perovskite in nature also meant it could not get an official mineral name from the International Mineralogical Association. This presented geologists with the odd situation of a nameless mineral being the most abundant one on Earth.
LOL. That’s absolutely true.
CN’s link leads to a brilliant little article, that is a “must read” for anyone interested, even a little, in geology. Expect to hear of “Bridgmanite” more often in future.