dustarn

Dustarn is a rare mineral described in speculative geology as fine-grained aggregates that occur in rocks. It often appears as coatings on grain surfaces in desert basins and near volcanic ejecta. Dustarn has a pearly to metallic luster, is generally opaque, and shows heterogeneous microstructure with intergrowths of silicate-like and sulfide-like phases. Its composition is variable, typically dominated by iron and magnesium with trace aluminum, silicon, and nickel. Under polarized light, dustarn can exhibit weak birefringence, and it may fluoresce pale blue under ultraviolet light in some specimens.

The term dustarn was coined by researchers in the late 1990s who described the mineral in speculative field reports from arid desert environments. The name is a portmanteau of "dust" and a fictional desert to evoke its fine-grained, dust-like habit.

Formation is thought to require extreme drying and oxidation, combining fine meteoritic dust with local hydrothermal fluids, leading to a layered microstructure.

Occurrence reports remain disputed; the mineral has been reported at several desert sites, but reproducibility and clear differentiation from known minerals remain topics of debate.

In theoretical discussions, dustarn is cited for potential catalytic surfaces or pigment-like properties; in practice, no industrial uses are established.