It is a new mineral from the Earth’s mantle, found inside a diamond in Koffiefontein, South Africa.
It has been named after Victor Moritz Goldschmidt, the Norwegian scientist acknowledged as the founder of modern geochemistry.
It has high concentrations of niobium, potassium and the rare earth elements lanthanum and cerium.
It is an unusual chemical signature for a mineral from Earth’s mantle, which is usually dominated by elements such as magnesium and iron.
Though the mantle makes up about 80% of the Earth’s volume but very little is known about it.
Diamonds hold clues as they are found up to 160 km beneath the surface, in the upper mantle.
Diamonds that are unearthed were brought up closer to the surface, probably as a result of violent volcanic eruptions when the Earth was hotter.
Galo Community
The Galo community is one of the 26 major communities of Arunachal Pradesh.
They are found in Siang, Subansiri, Lepa Rada districts.
They belong to the Tani group inhabiting Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, besides Tibet.
They trace their common origin to a primeval ancestor, Abotani.
They have unique system of naming which helps them to maintain Genealogy (Tracing the names of ancestors).
They have a system of prefixing the second syllable of a father’s name to that of a son, who passes on the suffix in his name to his son.
But unlike the Mising (Assam), Adi, Apatani, Nyishi and Tagin, the other communities do not have this practice.
Naming of an Asteroid
International Astronomical Union (IAU) serves as the internationally recognized authority for assigning designations to celestial bodies and surface features on them.
According to IAU’s guidelines, the privilege of naming a planet is first given to discoverers, who have 10 years to propose a name.
The discoverer or team is expected to write a short citation, explaining the reasons for assigning the name.
All names proposed are judged by the 15-member Working Group for Small Body Nomenclature (CSBN) of the IAU.
It has recently named an asteroid after Indian classical singer Pandit Jasraj.
It is located between Mars and Jupiter, and was discovered on November 11, 2006 by the Arizona based telescope.
Lithium deposits in Bolivia
Lithium Triangle is an intersection of Chile, Bolivia and Argentina, known for high quality salt flats.
Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia, Salar de Atacama in Chile and Salar de Arizaro in Argentina contains over 45%of known global lithium reserves.
Beneath Salar de Uyuni, the world’s largest salt flat lies the world’s greatest lithium deposits.
Bolivia, one of South America’s poorest countries, envisions development by harvesting lithium on an industrial scale from underground saltwater brines.
It can be mined from rock or processed from brine.
Lithium dissolved in underground saline aquifers called “brine”, pumped to surface by wells and then allowed to evaporate in vast knee-deep ponds.
A demand for electric vehicles and smart devices powered by lithium-ion batteries gives an opportunity for the development.
Source: The Hindu, The Indian Express, Graphic News
