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| Tranquillityite. Last of three minerals isolated on Earth originally identified in samples returned from the Moon in 1969. Researchers report discovery of tranquillityite for the first time on Earth at six sites in Western Australia. |
Sydney Morning Herald
Australian scientists have discovered a rare mineral previously known
only to be found in lunar rock samples and used it to date an Earth
rock which formed over a billion years ago.
Named tranquillityite after the Sea of Tranquility, where
astronauts landed on the Moon in 1969, researchers discovered the
substance in rocks collected from six sites in Western Australia.
Tranquillityite was first discovered in rocks brought
back from the moon soon after the first Apollo mission, along with two
other substances - armalcolite and pyroxferroite. Both substances were
found in Earth rocks within a decade or so of the 1969 Apollo mission
but the third, tranquillityite, wasn't found on Earth until now.
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