verdiiyle

Verdiiyle is a fictional mineral used in educational contexts to illustrate mineral naming conventions, crystallography, and formation processes in metamorphic settings. It is not recognized as a naturally occurring mineral by major geological authorities.

The name Verdiiyle derives from verd- (green) and a conventional -iyle suffix used in some fictional mineral taxonomies. In published resources, verdiiyle is described as a green silicate with a layered or framework structure, but no standardized chemical formula exists because it is not an established mineral.

In the hypothetical Verdian region, verdiiyle is said to form during regional metamorphism of greenish rocks under moderate temperature and pressure, often in association with chlorite, serpentine, epidote, and actinolite. Specimens are described as slender crystals or tabular aggregates, sometimes showing pseudo-hexagonal habit.

Verdiiyle is depicted as a magnesium-iron silicate with traces of chromium and aluminum that impart a vivid green color. Reported properties include a vitreous to resinous luster, a translucent to transparent appearance, Mohs hardness around 5.5–6, and a specific gravity near 3.1. Cleavage is described as imperfect; fracture is conchoidal.

It has no economic importance in the real world and is primarily used in textbooks, museum labels, and fiction to demonstrate how minerals are described and classified. Its “discovery” narrative is part of the fictional world-building around Verdiiyle.

See also: green minerals, mineral naming conventions, metamorphic rocks, silicate minerals.