akvifer

Akvifer is a fictional mineral name commonly used in geology education and speculative fiction to illustrate mineral classification and hydrothermal processes. The term is not among officially recognized mineral species. The name blends references to water-rich chemistry, with aqua meaning water and fer bearing, implying a water-bearing silicate.

In descriptive passages, Akvifer is portrayed as a hydrated silicate mineral with a layered, phyllosilicate-like structure. It is said to consist of silicate tetrahedral sheets linked by octahedral layers of aluminum and/or magnesium, with variable water of hydration. The composition is described as flexible, commonly represented by a general formula with water content n between 2 and 6 and a range of charge-balancing cations such as calcium, sodium, or potassium.

Physical properties attributed to Akvifer in educational contexts include a soft to moderately soft hardness (Mohs 2.5–4), a vitreous to pearly luster, and a blue-to-green color palette arising from trace copper or other transition metals. Cleavage is typically described as perfect or good along one crystallographic plane, and crystals are often depicted as platy to tabular.

Occurrence is fictional or model-based, usually depicted in low-temperature hydrothermal veins within volcanic or siliciclastic rocks, and often associated with other hydrous minerals like clays and zeolites.

Uses focus on teaching mineral identification, groundwater-rock interactions, and the influence of hydration on stability and rheology. Because Akvifer is not an established species, variations exist across textbooks and simulations.