Minerals found in cosmic dust in Scotland

Geologists found osbornite, a mineral that was once collected by NASA as space dust.

Alien minerals discovered by the research team. Photo: News.com.au.

Geologists at the University of London discovered an alien mineral called osbornite on the Isle of Skye, Scotland, Fox News reported today. This is the first time the mineral has been found on Earth.

Osbornite was collected as space dust on a NASA mission. Scientists found osbornite while studying volcanic rocks in an area where lava erupted 60 million years ago.

The team initially thought it was ignimbrite, a type of volcanic deposit. However, after using an electronic detector, they discovered it was a rare cosmic mineral.

"When we found out what this mineral was, we were absolutely amazed. We were quite shocked because we didn't think it could happen," said Dr. Andy Beard, of the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences. Since it wasn't melted, it's possible the mineral was originally a fragment of a meteorite.

The area where the osbornite was found is steep and muddy, which may be why previous researchers have not been able to explore it thoroughly, according to Dr. Simon Drake of the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences.

The new discovery raises questions about where the meteorite hit Earth and whether the impact triggered the eruption. The team also found similar minerals in the eruptive material from another crater nearly 7 km away.

According to VNE