Iorinis

Iorinis is a fictional mineral referenced in speculative science fiction and in educational wikis as an example of a rare resource. In many works and glossaries, it is described as a dense, iridescent material with unusual electromagnetic properties that would make it highly valuable for advanced technologies. The term is often used to discuss topics such as resource scarcity, geopolitical competition, and the logistics of deep-earth or deep-sea mining.

In the fictional accounts, iorinis forms under extreme conditions in ultramafic rock systems and is found in isolated deposits tied to particular tectonic settings. The most commonly cited setting is a remote oceanic archipelago where deposits occur within faulted rock chambers. Descriptions assign iorinis a Mohs hardness around 9, densities near 7.8–8.2 g/cm3, and exceptional thermal conductivity; some portray it as optically iridescent and as having piezoelectric or semiconductor-like behavior in theoretical models.

Because iorinis is fictional, there are no verified mining records or laboratory syntheses. In stories the extraction and processing are portrayed as hazardous and technologically demanding, requiring specialized equipment and infrastructure. The mineral is often used as a plot device to explore issues of access, environmental impact, and the allocation of scarce resources, and it serves as a teaching example in science communication contexts for how imaginary materials can be described in an encyclopedic style.