Kliirat

Kliirat is a fictional mineral frequently used in speculative fiction and world-building exercises. In these narratives, it is a rare crystalline substance noted for exceptional energy density and environmental resilience, making it a central material in advanced technologies.

It originates in a constructed language within the story world, where the term is said to mean “core power.” The modern usage in literature began in the late 22nd century.

It exists in two polymorphs, alpha and beta, with different optical and mechanical properties. Descriptions commonly assign high hardness, high melting point, and a distinctive electro-optic response, with refractive indices that shift under electric fields. Kliirat is said to be reactive with certain oxidizers but stable in inert atmospheres.

Deposits are described as ultramafic igneous rocks on basaltic moons or planets with hydrothermal activity. Economically significant seams are rare and geographically constrained.

Extraction is hazardous due to lattice instability and radiolytic effects; processing requires inert conditions and specialized sintering. In fiction, it powers compact energy cores, spacecraft systems, and radiation shielding.

Since its introduction, kliirat has served as a case study in materials science aspects of world-building and has influenced discussions of resource-driven geopolitics in fictional settings.