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- Orthopyroxenite is an ultramafic and ultrabasic rock that is almost exclusively made from the mineral orthopyroxene, the orthorhombic version of pyroxene and a type of pyroxenite. It can have up to a few percent of olivine and clinopyroxene.
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Orthopyroxenite is an ultramafic and ultrabasic rock that is almost exclusively made from the mineral orthopyroxene, the orthorhombic version of pyroxene and a type of pyroxenite. It can have up to a few percent of olivine and clinopyroxene .
Pyroxenite is an ultramafic igneous rock consisting essentially of minerals of the pyroxene group, such as augite, diopside, hypersthene, bronzite or enstatite. Pyroxenites are classified into clinopyroxenites, orthopyroxenites, and the websterites which contain both types of pyroxenes (see diagram below).
Orthopyroxenes are relatively widespread as a primary mineral in gabbroic and ultramafic rocks where they form with augite, olivine and plagioclase. Orthopyroxene may occur in high grade metamorphic rocks. It is essential in the granitic gneisses called charnockites, and may be found in pyroxene granulites and metamorphosed iron formations.
Aside from olivine, magnesium-rich (less than 30 percent iron) orthopyroxene is the commonest silicate in meteorites; it is a major constituent of most chondrites and an important component of mesosiderites and calcium-poor achondrites. For detailed physical properties, see pyroxene (table).
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Pyroxene. Pyroxene ( diopside) crystals from Afghanistan. The pyroxenes (commonly abbreviated Px) are a group of important rock-forming inosilicate minerals found in many igneous and metamorphic rocks. Pyroxenes have the general formula XY (Si,Al)2O6, where X represents calcium (Ca), sodium (Na), iron (Fe (II)) or magnesium (Mg) and more rarely ...
Olivine orthopyroxenite. Olivine is a common constituent in pyroxenite. The boundary between pyroxenite and peridotite is arbitrarily set at 40% olivine. Tappeluft, Norway. Width of sample 17 cm. Pyroxenite pebble on the southern coast of La Palma, Canary Islands. Width of sample 6 cm. Olivine orthopyroxenite. Tappeluft, Norway. Width of sample ...
Apr 23, 2023 · Fields include peridotite, pyroxenite, dunite, lherzolite, harzburgite, wehrlite, olivine-websterite, websterite, orthopyroxenite, clinopyroxenite. Pyroxenite Composition Pyroxenite composition is contain at least 90 percent pyroxene group minerals, such as as augite , diopside, hypersthene, bronzite or enstatite.Pyroxenite also contain olivine ...
