El Ali meteorite

4°17′17″N 44°53′54″E

The El Ali meteorite (Arabic) or Ceel Cali (Somali) (known traditionally by the locals as Shiid-Birood and recently by the finders as Nightfall), literally meaning, "Ali's Well," is a 15,150-kilogram (16.70-short-ton) meteorite that was known to the local population in Somalia for generations, but first only officially recognized as a meteorite in 2020.[1]

Discovery and identification

El Ali was found in a limestone valley 15 kilometres north of El Ali at GPS location 4°17.281’N, 44°53.893’E on September 2020.[1][2] Local pastoralists were aware of the rock for between five and seven generations, and it featured in songs, folklore, dances, and poems.[1] The meteorite was brought to the attention of the international community by Kureym Mining and Rocks Company's staff who were prospecting for opals in the area. They identified the rock and started moving it to Mogadishu before the Somalia government intervened and released it back to the miners.[1][2] The meteorite was then shipped to China where it is now awaiting sale.[3]

It is an IAB meteorite.[1]

Mineral identification

In 2022, scientists from the University of Alberta identified two new minerals (elaliite and elkinstantonite) in a 70 gram piece of the meteorite.[4] The minerals were identified by Andrew Locock, the head of the university's electron microprobe laboratory.[5]

Synthetic versions of both minerals had previously been produced in a French laboratory in the 1980s, but International Mineralogical Association rules meant they could not be approved as an official mineral until they were found in a natural sample.[5]

Curation

The location of the main mass of the meteorite is uncertain; it was last recorded being shipped to China, presumably for sale.[6] Small samples are held at the University of Arizona, the University of Alberta, and UC Los Angeles.[1] The future of the meteorite is undecided.[3]

References
  1. "Meteoritical Bulletin: Entry for El Ali". www.lpi.usra.edu. Retrieved 2022-11-30.
  2. "U of A scientists help identify two new minerals found in 'curious' meteorite". edmontonjournal. Retrieved 2022-11-30.
  3. WEI-HAAS, Maya (2022-12-14). "'Alien' minerals never found on Earth identified in meteorite". National Geographic - Science. Retrieved 2023-04-10.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  4. "Somalia meteorite: Joy as scientists find two new minerals". BBC News. 2022-11-29. Retrieved 2022-11-29.
  5. "In meteorite, Alberta researchers discover 2 minerals never before seen on Earth | Globalnews.ca". Global News. Retrieved 2022-11-29.
  6. MacPherson, Adrianna (2022-11-28). "New minerals discovered in massive meteorite may reveal clues to asteroid formation" (Press release). Alberta, Canada: University of Alberta. Retrieved 2022-11-30.
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