Mineral Discovery Made Easier: X-Ray Technique Shines a New Light on Tiny, Rare Crystals
Lawrence Berkeley National LaboratoryLike a tiny needle in a sprawling hayfield, a single crystal grain measuring just tens of millionths of a meter – found in a borehole sample drilled in Central Siberia – had an unexpected chemical makeup. And a specialized X-ray technique in use at Berkeley Lab confirmed the sample’s uniqueness and paved the way for its formal recognition as a newly discovered mineral: ognitite.