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Glite Dictionary
orthopyroxene

orthopyroxene

1 9.9
A hard mineral with iron and magnesium found in volcanic rocks or rocks changed by heat and pressure
  • noun
  • /ˌɔrθəˈpaɪrəkˌsiːn/
  • Specialized
: ortopiroxeno
  • The study focused on the concentrations of orthopyroxene in various rock samples from Pingnan peridotite.

Examples

  • Quartz-biotite pseudomorph after orthopyroxene in a granodiorite from the I-type Budduso pluton in Sardinia, Italy.

    Academic text (2018)

  • Table 3: Major-element concentrations in orthopyroxenes from Pingnan peridotite xenoliths

    Academic text (2018)

  • The presence of orthopyroxene in a granodiorite suggests specific geological conditions during its formation.

  • Geologists often examine orthopyroxene to gain insights into the temperatures and pressures of rock metamorphism.

Synonyms

pyroxene
vsorthopyroxene
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A dark, hard mineral that forms crystals in hot or changed rocks

is a narrower subgroup that mainly contains iron and magnesium

Surface Forms

orthopyroxene singular
orthopyroxenes plural

Morphology

orthopyroxene = pyroxene (opaque) = ortho + pyroxene

Formally 'ortho-' marks a subtype of the mineral 'pyroxene' (a regular prefixation), but the specific mineralogical meaning requires specialized knowledge.

Etymology

Orthopyroxene breaks into ortho- meaning 'straight' or 'regular' and pyroxene, a mineral name linked to the Greek 'pyro' meaning 'fire'. A helpful way to remember orthopyroxene is to think of a 'straight' pyroxene that forms in hot, 'fiery' rocks and meteorites and often contains iron and magnesium.