Although there are many different geological formations on Earth, the conditions in all parts of the universe are not the same as on our planet. Scientists have repeatedly proven in controlled experiments that different structures can form under different conditions.
A new study supports this hypothesis with a natural example: A stone that fell to our world with a meteor attracts attention with its harder and more durable structure than a diamond. The spot where this stone first appeared is also quite remarkable.
thousands of years old space apple
Geologist Andy Tomkins of Monash University in Australia was conducting a study to catalog pieces of meteorites called meteorites. In this work, he discovered a space stone resembling a strange, “curled” diamond. He then went on to study the stone found in northwest Africa with his doctoral student Alan Salek.
According to Tomkins’ theory, the meteorite, in which a hexagonal lattice carbon allotrope (called crystals of the same element with different geometrical structures, formed by arranging in different shapes) of the type called Lonsdaleite was found in the meteorite, started its journey from the shell of a dwarf planet that existed 4.5 billion years ago. These structures emerged as a result of a meteor impact that brought the end of the planet.
Another researcher, who says that this structure can be the basis of important breakthroughs for the future thanks to state-of-the-art methods, attributes this discovery to recent developments in microscope technology.
The team of researchers used electron microscopy to analyze the meteorite, and by mapping the object’s components in space, they were able to observe lonsdaleite, diamond, and graphite within the stone.
Buildings called Lonsdaleite normally spawn in three different ways. Scientists believe that with the study of natural formation, new methods will emerge in the production of this substance in industry. Thanks to the discovery of this structure, which scientists previously put forward in theory, we will be able to observe the interactions in the universe.
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