Corrupted aether crystals

When Bahamut was defeated by Phoenix Louisoix, crystallized shards of Bahamut's disintegrating form skewered several parts of Eorzea, including the Pharos Sirius. What exactly is this orange "corrupted aether" supposed to be? I didn't understand what it is exactly.

Also, the crystals spawned some "Corrupted Sprites" that used light-elemental magic. And now in the hard mode, they apparently evolved into Ghrah, disc clusters that can arrange into certain shapes. I wonder if other elementals can evolve into aspected Ghrah.

A crystal's elemental charge comes from the depth of its imbalance, how far from "white" aether it is
An Aside: The specifics are hazy, but my theory is that all crystals contain potential aether energy, but not necessarily elemental energy that will free itself upon conversion from crystal to mist. A "white" crystal might help summon a primal, but be rather useless in synthesis.

The orange crystals contain aether that has been pulled so far from "white" towards a single elemental aspect that it is an extreme charge - completely unstable. They may all look orange, but some are wind, some are lightning, etc. etc.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cid

We work upon the element itself! Using the power of a corrupted crystal, we could clear a path through the storm, and spare the Enterprise a battering!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alphinaud

Though mayhap not to you, [FORENAME]. We speak of the manifestations of over-aspected aether that can be found throughout Eorzea. Since the Calamity disrupted the land's aetheric currents, such crystals have become comparatively commonplace. ...Which has been a cause of great woe, as they are known to warp aetheric energies, including those of living organisms.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Earthbound (FATE)

Since the Calamity, there has been much imbalance in the elements. Founts of over-aspected aether erupt from the soil and manifest into corrupted crystals. These crystals, in turn, attract the most unsavory of creatures, the most common of all being elemental sprites who, upon absorbing the crystals, become corrupted themselves. The Brass Blades are seeking adventurers to comb the desert and find the crystals, slaying any corrupted sprites encountered.

But it's not just Bahamut's (or Phoenix's) aether. When Dalamud slammed down into the planet, pieces of it went deep. They struck the great subterranean rivers of aether that flow within the planet and sent it exploding towards the surface, fusing into overaspected crystal. Sometimes, you can see the whole thing going crazy (the Burning Wall), sometimes you only see the tips, not the chaos beneath (Dalamud's Talons).

Pharos looks like it was struck (akin to the Salt Strand) with falling Dalamud debris (and we know how Dalamud's technology channeled and warped aether through its electronics, so that's my guess).

Some of this is inference, more like guidelines than gospel.
You might be able to find more specifics with some effort (NPCs around Pharos, perhaps).

over aspected crystals are crystals that have too many elements/aspects to the point that it leans towards no element

Moose, so what Alphinaud also is hinting at why our elemental magic can hit monsters of the same element and not be resisted (using Fire III on Ifrit)? I always had a theory that it could be mentioned in the lore that the Calamity made the elements not effective or ineffective against monsters of same or different elemental types.