The constellation's name comes from the chemical
element Iridium, which has atomic number 77.
Previously, scientists thought that any asteroid or comet collision would leave strong evidence of
the element iridium, the signal found in the sedimentary layer from the time of the dinosaur extinction.
The Alvarez team discovered
the element iridium, at levels found only in asteroids, in Italian clay that dated to the ancient divide.
They noted increased concentrations of
the element iridium in 65 - million - year - old clay.
For instance, the famous K - T event or K - T boundary, which marked the end of the Cretaceous period 65 million years ago, features a global layer of
the element iridium in rock, the signature of a major asteroid impact.
In a series of papers, Firestone and his colleagues claimed various kinds of evidence for the hypothesis, including deposits of
the element iridium (rare on Earth but abundant in meteorites), microscopic diamonds (called nanodiamonds), and magnetic particles in deposits at sites supposedly dated to about 12,800 years ago.
Next is the tedious work of identifying the companion chemical signatures of an asteroid impact, such as
the element iridium, alongside the spherules.
The element iridium was trapped inside, right in the clay layer where the fossils flickered out — it was a trace, but more than might be expected.
Uffe Gråe Jørgensen at the Niels Bohr Institute in Copenhagen, Denmark, and colleagues reasoned that
the element iridium could provide a clue.
Not exact matches
Its creation coincides with the mass extinction of the dinosaurs and it contains high levels of
iridium, an
element found in asteroids.On top of the food chain, they had few....
In it are magnetic grains containing
iridium, an
element thought to indicate extraterrestrial origins.
Electrodes that so far have been used are made of very expensive
elements such as platinum or platinum -
iridium alloys.
Other
elements that fetch top prices include platinum ($ 1,544 per ounce), gold ($ 1,243), and
iridium ($ 750).
«We moved from
iridium, which is so rare and expensive it is labeled «the
element of the Gods», to an absolutely cheap metal, titanium; an
element we are all familiar with as it is broadly used as white pigment for ceramics, paper, and teeth whitener,» explains BAIK Mu - Hyun, the leading author from IBS.
Up until now, research on superconductivity with broken spatial inversion symmetry has mostly focused on compounds that contain a relatively heavy
element M, such as rhodium (Rh),
iridium (Ir), and platinum (Pt).
The platinum - group
elements are a group of six
elements, - platinum (Pt), palladium (Pd), rhodium (Rh),
iridium (Ir), osmium (Os), and ruthenium, (Ru).