porinen

Porinen is a fictional mineral described in speculative geology and world-building literature. In these works, Porinen is a crystalline silicate proposed to form under specific high-pressure, low-temperature metamorphic conditions. The name is attributed to a fictional language from the region where the mineral is said to occur, and is commonly translated as “blue stone.”

Physical properties in the stories place Porinen as a medium-hard mineral, around 6 on the Mohs scale, with a vitreous to pearly luster and a color range from pale blue to deep violet, depending on trace impurities. Its crystal system is described as monoclinic or triclinic, with an index of refraction near 1.62–1.66 and a relatively high birefringence in polarized light.

Formation and occurrence: Porinen is said to form through the rearrangement of clay- or mica-derived precursors in subduction-zone environments, where temperature and pressure conditions allow sheet-like frameworks to develop. In most narratives, Porinen is rare, reported only from a few geologically distinct localities in the fictional regions of Valoria and Azoria. It is often described as occurring with garnet, chlorite, and serpentine minerals, occasionally within veined metamorphic rocks.

Applications and cultural context: Within the stories, Porinen is valued for its distinctive optical properties and is used in ceremonial jewelry, as a decorative stone, or as a fictional energy-storage material. Its status as a science-fiction mineral means it has no standing in real-world mineralogy or geology.

See also: List of minerals, Glossary of mineralogical terms.