Diamonds have never been seen in an alien meteorite

The Diablo Canyon meteorite in the state of Arizona contains diamonds with an unusual structure, formed following an impact tens of thousands of years ago.

Meteorite specimen in Diablo Canyon.

Specimens of meteorites in the Ɗiablo gorge. (Image: Wikimedia)

Scientists use advanced imaging techniques to observe Diablo Canyon Meteoritethey discovered this is no ordinary jewelrytheo IFL Sciences. The Diablo Canyon meteorite fell about 50,000 years ago, creating a crater, one of the largest. The most intact impact crater in the world. In a study published in 2022, scientists say the new stone not only has the hardness of regular diamonds, but also unusual ductility. Additionally, they have easy-tuning characteristics, which have potential for use in electronic equipment.

Diamonds used in jewelry are made up of cube-shaped carbon atoms, each bonded to four other atoms, sometimes interrupted by another element, contributing color. Lonsdaleite is a rare form of carbon that was first discovered in 1967 in the Ɗiablo canyon meteorite. Previously, researchers thought it formed from carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal lattice, so they classified it as an allotrope of carbon along with graphite, amorphous graphene carbon, and graphite.

However, when examining lonsdaleite with a Raman spectrometer and crystallography, Dr. Péter Németh from the Hungarian Institute of Geology and Geochemistry discovered that lonsdaleite is actually composed of cubic diamonds and a combination of graphene intertwined and calls it diɑphite. When diamond and graphene meet, the layers separate in unexpected ways. The amount of cansdaleite available is too small to test some of its characteristics. However, the model reveals that it could be used to design super-hard yet ductile materials, promising a wide range of applications from abrasives, electronics, nanoscience to laser technology.

Article source: VnExpress