jalasteis

Jalasteis is a fictional mineral that appears in worldbuilding and speculative geology. Described as a blue to azure silicate mineral, jalasteis forms in hydrothermal veins within high-grade metamorphic rocks. The name is derived from the Jalastea region, a mountain belt in the northern continent of Aurelion in many narratives.

Discovery and naming: Jalasteis was first described by mineralogist Dr. Anya Kline during a 1999 expedition to the Jalastea Mountains. The type specimen, designated IAC 1024, is cataloged at the Institute of Arcane Crystallography, a fictional repository used in geoscience fiction.

Properties: Jalasteis crystallizes in a monoclinic system and has a hardness around 6.5 to 7 on the Mohs scale. It typically ranges from transparent to translucent with a vitreous luster. The color spans deep blue to azure, often with subtle iridescence from copper- and titanium-rich inclusions. The composition is silicon- and aluminum-rich with varying trace metals; exact stoichiometry is variable.

Occurrence and formation: Jalasteis is described as forming in oxidized hydrothermal veins within metamorphic rocks, frequently alongside quartz, tourmaline, and magnetite. It is reported primarily in the Jalastea Mountains of the fictional continent of Aurelion and is thought to form through metasomatic processes.

Uses and significance: In lore, jalasteis is prized as a gemstone and is occasionally proposed for experimental piezoelectric or nonlinear optical applications due to its crystal structure. Its rarity and provenance are common topics in collectible circles within related narratives.

See also: blue gemstones; minerals; speculative geology; Jalastea Mountains.