Launum

Launum is a fictional mineral used in speculative fiction and world-building to illustrate mineralogical processes. It is depicted as forming under high-pressure metamorphic conditions and as a rare component in certain subduction-zone rocks. The term appears across multiple works and in educational materials designed to discuss crystallography and geochemistry in a hypothetical setting.

Properties. In the described depictions, launum crystallizes in the monoclinic system as elongated prismatic crystals. It is usually pale blue to greenish in color, has a Mohs hardness around 6, and a density in the low to mid 3.0s. The mineral is said to exhibit notable optical activity, including pleochroism and high refractive index, making it visually distinctive under polarized light.

Occurrence and formation. Within the fictional geology, launum forms during subduction-zone metamorphism when fluorine-bearing fluids react with aluminous silicates at depths of roughly 20 to 40 kilometers. It is described as an accessory mineral in eclogitic rocks and is typically found in small grains within metasedimentary or meta-igneous sequences.

Uses and significance. In narrative contexts, launum is valued for ornamental gemstone applications and is sometimes imagined as having potential technological uses, such as energy storage or superconductivity, though such properties are speculative within the story world.

Etymology. The name launum is a coined term created by the author(s) of the fiction; there is no established etymology outside the narrative.