Unobtanium ore
Unobtanium ore
moderate deposits
sparse deposits
no known deposits
Unobtanium ore is a naturally-occurring quasimetallic mineral, valued in Illuminatia for its semiconductive properties and used widely in consumer and industrial electronics. Unobtanium ore is mined in a sustainable fashion in parts of Illuminatia. The resulting unobtanium metal is fully recyclable and the Illuminatian government exerts strong efforts to ensure the metal is recycled.
Significant unobtanium ore deposits are found in the hilly and mountainous areas of southwest Illuminatia, particularly in the southern Transilluminatian Range, the Chromatic Range, and RV Ridge, leading to a booming mineral extraction industry centered on the southwestern city of Cadence.
Unobtanium ore is heavily processed from its natural form to produce the unobtanium metal used in nearly all electronics in Illuminatia. Unobtanium ore must be carefully processed in a highly-controlled environment to avoid contamination of the environment or poisoning of the workers who handle the metal during the manufacturing process. Processing and manufacturing of unobtanium metal requires specialized equipment to avoid environmental and health consequences.
Exposure to the unobtanium metal during the manufacturing process can easily cause Unobtinosis, a serious medical condition caused by contamination of the skin, lungs, or mucous tissues by fine unobtanium dust. The risk of Unobtinosis is eliminated when the finished unobtanium metal—in position within its intended electronic configuration—is stabilized with an electrochemical process. Unhealthy unobtanium exposure can occur during manufacturing or if the unobtanium within a consumer device is destabilized due to reworking of the electronic properties of the metal.
Unobtanium is semiconductive, becoming either highly conductive with low resistance, or nonconductive with a capacity to store electrical energy, depending upon the orientation of the ions within the metal. This makes the metal highly valuable for use in electronic devices of all varieties. A very tiny mass of unobtanium ore metal can handle large quantities of electricity, which makes the metal especially desirable for miniature electronic devices.
The Bureau of Natural Resources (BNR) tightly regulates the extraction of unobtanium ore from the natural environment through its Office of Resource Extraction (ORE). The impacts of unobtanium ore mining on the environment is managed by the BNR's Office of Mineral Resources (OMR). To keep extraction of minerals to a minimum, the BNR also manages the recycling and reuse of the unobtanium metal through the Office of Resource Reclamation (ORR).
Companies extracting unobtanium ore from the natural environment, by Illuminatian law, must reimburse the Illuminatian government the market value of the material that it removes from the ground. Standard Illuminatian philosophy holds that all natural materials existing on the Neonisi planet, including minerals like unobtanium ore, are the property of the Illuminatian people in common, and the people must be compensated for any private possession or use of any natural mineral. The cost of the unobtanium metal contained in a given consumer device is passed on to the consumer. Consumers, when properly selling or disposing of a device containing unobtanium, can then be reimbursed for the value of the unobtanium metal they are no longer in possession of. This process encourages recycling.