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Published October 1, 2018 | public
Journal Article

A closer look at shocked meteorites: Discovery of new high-pressure minerals

Ma, Chi ORCID icon

Abstract

"Discovery consists not in seeking new lands but in seeing with new eyes."—Marcel Proust. A rock is a book from nature. When we read it closely down to micrometers and nanoscales, we often discover something new and exciting. Nanomineralogy is the study of Earth and planetary materials at nanoscales, focused on characterizing nanofeatures (such as inclusions, exsolution, zonation, coatings, pores) in minerals and rocks and revealing nanominerals and nanoparticles (Ma 2008). Nanomineralogy is a concept and also an approach that is applicable to all fields of geosciences dealing with solid materials. With advanced electron-beam and synchrotron techniques, particularly using high-resolution analytical scanning electron microscopy, we are now capable to characterize geomaterials down to nanoscales easier and faster. Nanofeatures are being identified in many common minerals and rocks that provide insights into their petrogenesis and physical properties. New minerals and new materials with important geological significance are being discovered at micrometers to nanoscales (Ma 2015), including new high-pressure minerals representing extreme conditions (e.g., Tschauner et al. 2014; Ma et al. 2015, 2016).

Additional Information

© 2018 by the Mineralogical Society of America. Manuscript received July 3, 2018; Manuscript accepted July 13, 2018; Manuscript handled by Keith Putirka.

Additional details

Created:
August 19, 2023
Modified:
October 18, 2023