 |
|
| Science Forum Index » Geology Forum » 'Kryptonite' discovered in mine... |
|
Page 1 of 1 |
|
| Author |
Message |
| Bolaleman... |
 Posted: Mon Oct 19, 2009 6:08 am |
|
|
|
Guest
|
Kryptonite is no longer just the stuff of fiction feared by caped
superheroes. A new mineral matching its unique chemistry - as
described in the film Superman Returns - has been identified in a mine
in Serbia.
According to movie and comic-book storylines, kryptonite is supposed
to sap Superman's powers whenever he is exposed to its large green
crystals.
The real mineral is white and harmless, says Dr Chris Stanley, a
mineralogist at London's Natural History Museum.
"I'm afraid it's not green and it doesn't glow either - although it
will react to ultraviolet light by fluorescing a pinkish-orange," he
told BBC News.
- snip –
disappointed…
- snip -
Rock heist
Researchers from mining group Rio Tinto discovered the unusual mineral
and enlisted the help of Dr Stanley when they could not match it with
anything known previously to science.
Once the London expert had unravelled the mineral's chemical make-up,
he was shocked to discover this formula was already referenced in the
literature - albeit literary fiction.
"Towards the end of my research I searched the web using the mineral's
chemical formula - sodium lithium boron silicate hydroxide - and was
amazed to discover that same scientific name, written on a case of
rock containing kryptonite stolen by Lex Luthor from a museum in the
film Superman Returns.
"The new mineral does not contain fluorine (which it does in the film)
and is white rather than green but, in all other respects, the
chemistry matches that for the rock containing kryptonite."
The mineral is relatively hard but is very small grained. Each
individual crystal is less than five microns (millionths of a metre)
across.
Read the whole story here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6584229.stm
Bolaleman
---------------------------------------
All-in-one Chemist Job Search Board: http://2ajobguide.com/employment_chemist.aspx |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
| Joe... |
| Posted: Tue Oct 20, 2009 7:36 am |
|
|
|
Guest
|
On Mon, 19 Oct 2009 09:08:39 -0700 (PDT), Bolaleman
<oswald_eppers at (no spam) hotmail.com> wrote:
[quote]Kryptonite is no longer just the stuff of fiction feared by caped
superheroes. A new mineral matching its unique chemistry - as
described in the film Superman Returns - has been identified in a mine
in Serbia.
According to movie and comic-book storylines, kryptonite is supposed
to sap Superman's powers whenever he is exposed to its large green
crystals.
The real mineral is white and harmless, says Dr Chris Stanley, a
mineralogist at London's Natural History Museum.
"I'm afraid it's not green and it doesn't glow either - although it
will react to ultraviolet light by fluorescing a pinkish-orange," he
told BBC News.
- snip –
disappointed…
- snip -
[/quote]
So, what are the conditions under which it was formed?
What is the geology of the region? How Old?
I know even the Beeb isn't likely to cover that in depth (sorry), but
here in geo-land we want to know. The photo looks like a core
specimen.
(Hunting around...)
OK, this may be where the stuff came from:
(http://www.riotinto.com/whatweproduce/17056_inferred_resource_at_jadar_lithium_project.asp)
"The Jadar lithium project is approximately 100 kilometres west of
Belgrade and is wholly owned and operated by Rio Tinto through Rio
Sava Exploration d.o.o.
.....
Summary of Exploration Results
The Jadar deposit was identified in 2004 while drilling Miocene lake
sediments in the search for sodium borates. Thirty eight diamond holes
have been drilled at Jadar.
The deposit comprises an upper Colemanite Zone overlying the Upper,
Middle and Lower Jadarite Zones. The main economic mineral is jadarite
with subordinate colemanite and ulexite/probertite. Jadarite,
LiNaB3SiO7(OH), a mineral species first identified at Jadar, contains
7.3%Li2O and 47.2%B2O3 and is a potentially economic source of lithium
and boron. The Lower Jadarite Zone lies between 300 and 600 metres
below surface and ranges from 9 to 20 metres in thickness. Only the
Lower Jadarite Zone is included within the current Inferred Resource."
Joe |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
|
All times are GMT - 5 Hours
The time now is Mon Dec 07, 2009 5:18 pm
|
|