kammion

Kammion is a fictional mineral described in speculative geology and science fiction. It is portrayed as a dense, ultrahard silicate mineral that forms under extreme metamorphic conditions deep within planetary crusts. The term appears across multiple works as a benchmark material for discussing high-pressure mineral physics, though it is not recognized as a real mineral by the scientific community.

In the in-universe descriptions, kammion crystallizes in layered structures that combine silicate sheets with interleaved transition-metal oxide sheets. This arrangement is said to yield exceptional hardness, chemical stability, and unusual anisotropic properties. Reported Mohs hardness is near 9 to 9.5, with a high refractive index and brittleness that varies with crystallographic orientation. Its electrical conductivity is generally described as negligible at ambient conditions, with increases under high pressure or when metallic inclusions are present.

Occurrence and production are described as happening in deep crustal or mantle environments under extreme pressures and temperatures. Fictional deposits are linked to regions such as the Kamme Basin or Kammix Belt. In the stories, extraction requires high-temperature furnaces and controlled atmospheres, while some narratives explore laboratory synthesis through advanced ceramic-assembly techniques.

Applications and significance within fiction include use in armor plating, industrial abrasives, and optical components, leveraging its perceived hardness and optical properties. Kammion often serves as a plot device to explore limits of materials science under extreme conditions. Because kammion is not an observed material in real-world geology, there are no empirical data outside speculative works.