Meteorite Yields Sample of Earth's Most Abundant Substance

No one had ever seen, or named, the most abundant material on Earth — until now. Bridgmanite has finally been sampled and named in honor of Nobel Prize-winning physicist Percy Bridgman. According to the International Mineralogical Association, a mineral cannot be given a name before the physical proof of its existence is obtained. Scientists believe that about 70 percent of Earth’s lower mantle, or about 36 percent of the planet's total volume, is made of an extremely dense...

© La Voix de l'Amérique - mardi 2 décembre 2014