Anhidriittia

Anhidriittia is a fictional mineral species described in speculative geology and science fiction literature. The name is derived from anhydrous, reflecting its proposed dehydration behavior, with the suffix -ia following mineral-naming conventions found in some fictional corpora.

In the fictional schema, Anhidriittia occurs in arid evaporite basins. It is identified by its microcrystalline texture and a pale, glassy to dull luster. The composition is described as predominantly aluminum-silicate oxides with trace calcium and magnesium, and it forms during intense evaporation when hypersaline brines precipitate a dehydrated phase.

Physical properties are described as a Mohs hardness of about 4–5; color ranging from pale gray to colorless; translucent to transparent in thin crystals. It is said to be relatively insoluble in water but releases water upon heating, consistent with dehydration, with notable changes observed above temperatures around 200 °C in the fictional context.

Formation and stability are discussed as arising from rapid dehydration of a precursor hydrated mineral during exposure to high temperatures and aridity. Anhidriittia is portrayed as unstable in humid climates and tends to rehydrate slowly when exposed to moisture over extended periods, a trait that helps explain its restricted geographic distribution in the narrative.

In speculative contexts, Anhidriittia is proposed as a pigment, an additive in ceramics, and a potential electrolyte material within imagined technologies. However, within the fiction, no independent commercial mining or widespread economic use is described, and its presence remains largely within field reports and world-building lore.

See also: Anhydrous minerals, Evaporite, Silicate minerals.