In the terrestrial rock cycle, donwilhelmsite is, therefore, an important agent for transporting crustal sediments through the transition zone separating the upper and lower Earth’s mantle. The newly discovered mineral donwilhelmsite forms in 460 to 700 kilometre depth. While being dragged deeper into the Earth mantle the pressure and temperature increases, and the minerals transform into denser mineral phases. Eroded sediments from these continents are transported by wind and rivers to the oceans, and subducted into the Earth’s mantle as part of the dense oceanic crust. This meteorite is compositionally similar to rocks comprising the Earth’s continents. It is mainly composed of calcium, aluminum, silicon, and oxygen atoms and was discovered within shock melt zones of the lunar meteorite Oued Awlitis 001 found in 2014 in the Western Sahara. The new mineral donwilhelmsite is the first high-pressure mineral found in meteorites with application for subducted terrestrial sediments and is important for understanding the inner structure of the Earth. CANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPE IMAGE OF THE NEW MINERAL, DONWILHELMSITE, IN THE LUNAR METEORITE OUED AWLITIS 001.ĬREDIT: © MUSEUM FÜR NATURKUNDE BERLIN, ANSGAR GRESHAKE A team of European researchers have discovered a new high-pressure mineral in the lunar meteorite Oued Awlitis 001, named donwilhelmsite
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