Bainitia

Bainitia is a mineral discovered in the Tenham meteorite, a fragment of the asteroid 4 Vesta. It was first identified in 2014 by a team of researchers led by Chi Ma at the California Institute of Technology. Bainitia is notable for being the first new mineral discovered since 1969, and it is named after Dr. Edward P. "Ted" Bain, a professor of geochemistry at Caltech.

Bainitia is a high-pressure form of iron, with a crystal structure that is different from that of the more common forms of iron found on Earth. It is believed to have formed under the extreme conditions of impact events, such as the collision that created the asteroid Vesta. The discovery of bainitia provides valuable insights into the processes that occur during such impacts and the conditions that prevail in the early solar system.

The mineral is characterized by its unique crystal structure, which is hexagonal and consists of layers of iron atoms. This structure is stabilized by the high pressure and temperature conditions of the impact event. Bainitia is also notable for its high density, which is greater than that of iron in its more common forms.

The discovery of bainitia has important implications for our understanding of the early solar system and the processes that shaped it. It provides evidence for the extreme conditions that can be achieved in impact events and the role that such events played in the formation and evolution of the solar system. Further study of bainitia and similar minerals may provide additional insights into these processes and the conditions that prevailed in the early solar system.