lobuleen

Lobuleen is a fictional mineral described in speculative geology and science fiction. The name derives from lobulus, Latin for "little lobe," a reference to the proposed lobed habit of its crystals. In most depictions, lobuleen is a hydrated aluminosilicate with a layered, porous structure that can accommodate water and other guest species within interlayer spaces.

Its composition is typically described as a variable, alkali- and earth-alkaline-containing silicate, with interlayer phyllosilicate sheets and exchangeable cations. Physical properties in lore include a soft to moderately hard feel (Mohs 3–5), high porosity, and a pearly to vitreous luster. The mineral is usually colorless to pale blue or green when freshly formed, with color developing upon irradiation or hydration state.

Formation is described as a low-temperature hydrothermal or metasomatic process that promotes lamellar stacking and interlayer swelling. In many stories, lobuleen forms in specific geothermal environments or as a secondary phase in basaltic and ultramafic rocks, and it is sometimes portrayed as present in meteorites from fictional bodies.

In speculative applications, lobuleen is imagined as a catalyst support, a slow-release matrix for nutrients or drugs, or a luminescent material for signaling under certain lighting conditions. Researchers within these narratives often explore its stability across pressure–temperature changes and its interactions with water and organic molecules.

Note: Lobuleen is a fictional term and does not correspond to a real mineral currently recognized in terrestrial geology or mineralogy.