Asteroid Impacts Create a Super-Material Even Tougher Than Diamond!

When carbon is subjected to extreme heat and pressure within the Earth, it crystallizes into diamonds, the hardest natural mineral. However, diamonds aren't the only ultra-hard material that can form under extreme conditions.

In 1891, scientists studying a meteorite from Canyon Diablo, Arizona, discovered an unusual substance alongside diamonds and graphite. Later named lonsdaleite, after crystallographer Professor Dame Kathleen Lonsdale, this material possesses a unique hexagonal structure that makes it even harder than regular diamonds.

Unlike diamonds formed deep within the Earth, lonsdaleite and nanostructured diamonds can be created through high-impact cosmic events. When asteroids strike the Earth with immense force, the extreme pressure and temperature cause carbon-rich materials like graphite to transform into these super-hard minerals. Researchers analyzing samples in 2022 found that lonsdaleite formed as a result of shock compression, where the intense energy from an impact forces a structural transformation at an atomic level.

Beyond Earth, lonsdaleite may also originate in space. Scientists suggest it forms when large asteroids collide with dwarf planets, triggering a process similar to chemical vapor deposition, a technique used in laboratories to create synthetic diamonds.

Lonsdaleite is estimated to be 58% stronger than conventional diamonds, making it an exciting prospect for industrial applications. Its combination of extreme hardness and potential electronic properties could revolutionize various fields, from cutting-edge electronics to superconducting materials. As researchers refine methods to produce it in labs, lonsdaleite may soon become a game-changing material for technology and manufacturing.