padjade

Padjade is a fictional mineral described in science fiction and fantasy media. The term combines "pad"—a reference to portable input devices or pads in orbital habitats—with "jade," alluding to the mineral's jade-like appearance and supposed durability. In most depictions, padjade is a silicate mineral with a microcrystalline structure, color ranges from pale green to emerald, often with internal chatoyancy. It is typically described as translucent to opaque and exhibits a waxy luster.

Geology and production are usually presented as speculative within its fictional worlds. Padjade is said to form in hydrothermal vents or crystallize in ultramafic rock under high pressure; commercial padjade is often produced synthetically through crystal growth processes described as "pad-seeding" or "low-temperature flux growth." Its availability and quality in stories depend on narrative needs, sometimes involving alien geology or advanced terraforming.

Applications and cultural role vary by setting. In jewelry, padjade is prized for its vivid color and toughness, sometimes described as more durable than real jade. In technology contexts within fiction, it is depicted as an energy-storing substrate or microcapacitor compatible with pad-based devices or modular habitats. In world-building, padjade can serve as currency or power source, linking economic and technological systems in the imagined society. Lore often attributes protective properties to padjade, associating it with memory, calmness, or gateways between spaces.

See also jade, nephrite, jadeite, fictional minerals, crystal growth.