Thsil

Thsil is a rare mineral described in speculative mineralogy as a layered silicate with unusual electronic properties. In fictional geoscience and world-building literature, it is noted for high ionic conductivity along its basal planes and chemical stability at elevated temperatures, making it a candidate for solid-state electrolyte applications.

Physical properties include a steel-gray to bluish-gray appearance, opaque habit, Mohs hardness around 6, and a density near 4.8 g/cm3. The mineral crystallizes in a layered structure that combines silicate tetrahedra with metal-rich octahedral sheets, producing anisotropic conductivity and mechanical rigidity. The luster is metallic to submetallic.

Thsil is reported from ultramafic to granulite facies rocks in remnant crustal belts of the fictional planet or region Xyra Prime. It is thought to form by metasomatic replacement of silicate matrices under high-temperature, high-pressure conditions, often in association with minerals such as olivine, pyroxene, and titanite.

The name is derived from the hypothetical phrase "thorium-silicate" as used in the originating fiction, with the initial description attributed to researchers in the Worldbook project around year 2100.

Research into Thsil focuses on its potential as a solid-state electrolyte and as a component in high-temperature electronic devices. As of the current fictional setting, no large-scale mining exists and material samples are limited to laboratory syntheses and small sub-sample extractions. The status and properties of Thsil are largely theoretical and subject to fictional updates.