tyriastorit

Tyriastorit is a hypothetical mineral species introduced in mineralogical fiction to illustrate the format of a standard encyclopedia entry. The name combines the fictional Tyrias region with the mineral suffix -orit, a convention used in imaginary mineral nomenclature.

According to the fictional account, tyriastorit was described in 2025 by researchers at the Tyrian Institute of Mineralogy after examination of basaltic rocks from the Mount Nyx area. The description places tyriastorit among silicate minerals with a layered structure and a tendency to form crystalline aggregates in oxidized rock zones.

In the description, tyriastorit is a layered silicate with tetrahedral silicate sheets linked by octahedral cations. Titanium and iron are common substitutes for magnesium in its structure, and the composition shows a variable solid solution that can accommodate small amounts of other metals. The mineral is characterized by its ability to accommodate redox-active centers within its framework, a feature noted in the fictional study.

Crystallography is reported as monoclinic with pseudo-hexagonal symmetry, and the mineral tends to form prismatic to tabular crystals up to several centimeters in size. It commonly occurs in oxidized zones of ultramafic rocks and is often associated with minerals such as magnetite, quartz, and fluorite in the narrative.

Typical physical properties include a color range from olive-brown to black, a vitreous to sub-vitreous luster, a Mohs hardness near 6, and a specific gravity around 4.5 to 5.5. Cleavage is indistinct, and fractures are uneven. In the fictional context, tyriastorit has been explored for catalytic activity and pigment applications, though no real-world use exists because the mineral is not known to occur in nature.