Nanomineralogy of Meteorites: Discovery of New Minerals Representing Extreme Conditions of Formation

During our ongoing nanomineralogy investigation of meteorites since 2007, 45 new minerals have been discovered. 19 are from the Allende meteorite, including 12 refractory minerals like allendeite Sc₄Zr₃O₁₂, tistarite Ti₂O₃ and panguite (Ti⁴⁺,Al,Sc,Mg,Zr,Ca,□)₂O₃, which are among the first solids formed in the solar system. To date, 50+ refractory minerals and 20+ presolar minerals mark the very beginning of the solar mineral evolution at 4.567 billion years ago. Ten new high-pressure minerals have been discovered in shocked meteorites, including bridgmanite (MgSiO₃-perovskite, the most abundant mineral in Earth), ahrensite (Fe₂SiO₄-spinel) and tissintite ((Ca,Na,□)AlSi₂O₆-clinopyroxene). Each new mineral reveals distinctive forming environments, providing insights into nebula, parent-body processes, or shock conditions. Presented here are some of discovery stories, demonstrating how nanomineralogy works and plays a unique role in Earth and planetary science research.