| Id | 138 |
| Identification Type | Mineral |
| Name | Pyroxene |
| Distinguishing Features | |
| Description | A class of aluminosilicate minerals, many of them iron and/or magnesium-bearing, having wide distribution in igneous and metamorphic rocks and occurring commonly as minor but often prominent constituents in sedimentary environments. In smear slides, Mg-Fe pyroxenes are typically shades of green or brown (depending on mineral species) in plane-polarized light, often display moderate to strong pleochroism, and show moderate birefringence in cross-polarized light. Extinction can be either parallel (minerals in the orthopyroxene class) or inclined (clinopyroxene minerals). Pyroxene minerals have relatively high specific gravity, and will tend to concentrate with other heavy mineral species in winnowed or density-sorted depositional environments. |
| Tags | silicate |
| External Resources | |
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