What’s an “unknown mineral”?
I understand an “unknown element” - which would be front page news. Of course, since the article has absolutely no science behind it save for the mention of an “unknown mineral”, the article is not worth a second thought until we get someone with a STEM background to look further. Perhaps we could get noted scientists such as the CNN/MSNBC staff to analyze it. After all, they know everything about climate and COVID. Their analysis could be reviewed by Al Gore for believable verification.
Exactly what I was thinking. This article is silly and devoid of empirical science.
Minerals in geology are classified according to their chemical composition and their crystaline structure. Even the most common rock you can find is made up of particles that are each a tiny crystal with a unique chemistry all fused together because of the intense heat and pressure exerted on them.
An unknown mineral refers - and this is where the writing gets sloppy - to a chemical makeup and crystaline structure that has not been seen before and indicates that a different formation process produced it separate from known formation processes. The reporting is bad, but it's good science. And no there are no unknown elements in this stuff. We have discovered or produced all of the stable elements that can exist.