Saltalso

Saltalso is a fictional mineral species described in a hypothetical mineralogy catalog, created for illustrative world-building and educational exercises in evaporite geology. The name reflects its association with common salts in evaporative environments and is used to demonstrate typical mineral-formation concepts in a controlled, imaginative setting.

Formation and occurrence: In the fictional account, saltalso forms by the seasonal evaporation of saline brines in arid basins, occurring alongside halite (sodium chloride) and sylvite (potassium chloride). It is described as crystallizing in a cubic system, with prismatic to tabular habits. Crystals are reported to be colorless to pale yellow and to range from transparent to translucent, with a vitreous luster.

Composition and properties: The dominant component is modeled as NaCl, with minor substitutions of potassium, calcium, and magnesium. Trace cobalt or manganese may impart faint blue to pink hues in some specimens. In this imagined framework, the mineral has a Mohs hardness around 2.5 and a low to moderate density, with poor or indistinct cleavage.

Uses and significance: Within the fictional universe, saltalso serves as a teaching example for solubility, crystallography, and mineral associations in evaporite systems. It is explicitly noted as not being a real mineral recognized by international mineralogical authorities, and type material exists only in the imaginary Atlas of Evaporites.

History and etymology: The term saltalso was introduced by a fictional geologist in 2050 to illustrate how new minerals are named from their environmental context and co-occurrence with other salts in evaporite deposits. See also evaporite minerals, halite, sylvite.