Pallovirran

Pallovirran is a fictional mineral described in worldbuilding and speculative geology. It is characterized by a pale, pearlescent appearance and a layered microstructure that produces a soft iridescence in polarized light.

Composition and properties: Pallovirran is depicted as a silicate mineral enriched with trace palladium-group elements, giving it a slight metallic sheen. Typical crystals are tabular or prismatic; color ranges from pale gray to blue-white; luster is pearly to vitreous. In scenarios where defined, its Mohs hardness is about 6, density around 3.2 g/cm3, and refractive index near 1.65–1.70. Cleavage is imperfect.

Formation and occurrence: In fictional geology, pallovirran forms in high-temperature hydrothermal systems where silica-rich fluids interact with palladium-bearing solutions, preferentially in arc-related volcanic settings. It is imagined to occur in slender veins within ultramafic host rocks and is often associated with other sulfide and silicate minerals.

Applications and significance: Pallovirran is sometimes used in jewelry and ornamental carving in worldbuilding for its iridescent look. In speculative materials science, it serves as a model layered mineral for studying diffusion, phase relations, and crystal growth under hydrothermal conditions. It is not known to exist outside fictional contexts.

Etymology and history: The name pallovirran combines Latin roots for pale and a fictional suffix; it first appears in contemporary worldbuilding texts around the 2010s.