A new mineral was discovered from the earth's mantle in a South African diamond. Some scientists came to a conclusion that this mineral was formed 105 miles beneath the surface of the earth. This never before seen mineral shows unusual chemical reaction. This new mineral was found from a volcanic site know as koffiefontein pipe in South Africa . Scientists named this new mineral ' Goldschmidt ' .
Niobium, potassium and other rare earth elements like lanthanum and cerium are found in high concentration in ' Goldschmidt ' . But when the scientists tried to study the entire mantle they could not do it because it was 2,900 km thick which makes the layers in the lower regions difficult for them to study. By examining minerals in the diamonds scientists can study the chemical process that occurs in the crust. Mantle geochemist Graham Pearson told that " Goldschmidtite is highly unusual for an inclusion captured by a diamond and gives us a snapshot of the fluid processes that affect the deep roots of continents during diamond formation . " The new mineral is now in the Royal Ontario Museum.
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