pyroxene
pyroxene An important group of inosilicates (chain silicates) comprising the orthorhombic pyroxenes (orthopyroxenes) and the monoclinic pyroxenes (clinopyroxenes) with the general formula XYZ2O6, where × = Mg, Fe, Ca, or Na; Y = Mg, Fe, Fe3+, or Al; and Z = Si (and some Al substitution). The main orthopyroxenes are enstatite and orthoferrosilite; the main clinopyroxenes include diopside, hedenbergite, augite, pigeonite, and jadeite, and also the alkali pyroxenes aegirine and aegirine augite (note that wollastonite, although similar to the pyroxenes, has a different atomic structure); sp. gr. 3.0–3.5; hardness 5–6; colours variable, but usually dark greens, browns, or black; vitreous lustre; crystals usually short or columnar prisms; well-marked cleavage; widely distributed in both igneous and metamorphic rocks.
pyroxene
py·rox·ene / pīˈräkˌsēn; pə-/ • n. any of a large class of rock-forming silicate minerals, generally containing calcium, magnesium, and iron and typically occurring as prismatic crystals.
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pyroxene