Brinstone

Samus destroys a weakened wall of Brinstone.

Brinstone is a material found throughout the Metroid Prime series. It is apparently stable and fairly dense, making it useful for foundations, though not in war-torn regions, as any amount of concussive force can destabilize it.

In the series it is vulnerable to Missile fire. It can usually be cleared away to reveal doors or items. Brinstone is immune to any other form of attack, and so acts as an obstacle to Samus for the early game.

Although this is not confirmed, the name implies that the substance may have originated from Brinstar. The substance appears rock like or as glass like panels.

Official Metroid Prime website

A weakened Brinstone column in Mining Plaza

kreuger displacement: 49.57
atomic weight: 99.987
vacuum potential: 87.69
origin: Unknown

"Brinstone is a stable solid with above average density. Its compact atomic structure makes it a strong, reliable medium for constructing foundations. It is typically not used on war-ravaged planets, though, due to its vulnerability to even the smallest concussive shockwaves."

Appearances

Samus uses a Missile to shatter a damaged Brinstone wall, in Sand Processing.

The following is a list of rooms in which Brinstone appears and each use in said room.

• Ruined Gallery (blocks a Missile Expansion)
• Watery Hall Access (blocks a Missile Expansion)
• Sand Processing (weak portion in Half-pipe that allows Samus access to Main Reactor)
• Doomed Entry (statue blocks a Luminoth device that lowers a platform)
• Mining Plaza (pillars with Brinstone segments at their bases can be knocked down to use as platforms)
• Mining Station A (same pillars above appear in this room)
• Hidden Court (Brinstone segment of wall blocks the base of a Skkale vine)
• Chozo Ice Temple (flawed Chozo shaman statue is made of Brinstone)

Etymology

Brinstone is likely a portmanteau of the Zebes sector called Brinstar and brimstone, a non-scientific word for sulfur. The word has been popularized by "fire and brimstone", a phrase used, sometimes pejoratively, to describe a motif in Christian preaching which uses vivid descriptions of judgment, and the damnation to Hell of sinners forever to encourage repentance out of fear of divine wrath and punishment. It is from this part of the Bible that Hell is implied to "smell of sulfur", although the odor usually assosciated with sulfur is in fact caused by sulfur dioxide, and sulfur itself is odorless.

Trivia

• The official website description states that Brinstone is not typically used on war-ravaged planets, contradicting its presence on Bryyo.

Gallery

Emissions Spectra.

Power Curve Graph.