kalteviin

Kalteviin is a rare silicate mineral that forms transparent to translucent crystals, typically pale blue to emerald-green. It crystallizes in the monoclinic system and exhibits a vitreous luster. In hand samples it is moderately hard, with a Mohs hardness around 6, and it is relatively brittle. The mineral shows slight pleochroism in polarized light and has a distinctive pale-green to blue-green color when cut and viewed from different angles.

Kalteviin was first described in 1989 by a field team from Norda University during prospecting in the Kalteviin Basin, a remote highland area in the Nordacratic region. The name derives from the basin and from the Kaltevi language, in which kalteviin means “cold stone.” The designation reflects both the mineral’s association with the basin’s geology and the region’s climate.

Geologically, kalteviin occurs as coarse-grained crystals within pegmatitic veins hosted by high-grade metamorphic rocks. It is commonly associated with quartz, muscovite, tourmaline, and lepidolite. Known occurrences are limited to a small number of undeveloped deposits in the Kalteviin Basin and nearby districts, contributing to its rarity and limited supply.

Chemically, kalteviin is a complex aluminosilicate containing alkali metals, aluminum, silicon, oxygen, and hydroxide groups. It has attracted research interest for potential low-temperature applications because of its thermal stability and relatively low thermal expansion, though no large-scale commercial production has emerged. In practice, kalteviin is primarily of interest to researchers and mineral collectors, and it is occasionally cut for jewelry from small, carefully sourced specimens.

Mining of kalteviin is low-volume and subject to strict environmental and heritage protections. Ongoing studies focus on crystal-structure analysis, geochemical behavior, and potential niche applications, but the mineral remains rare outside academic and collecting contexts.