pyroxene
noun
py·rox·ene
pī-ˈräk-ˌsēn 
pə-
: any of a group of igneous-rock-forming silicate minerals that contain calcium, sodium, magnesium, iron, or aluminum, usually occur in short prismatic crystals or massive form, are often laminated, and vary in color from white to dark green or black
Examples of pyroxene in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Already, preliminary analysis of the sediment core has uncovered lower levels of the mineral pyroxene than what has been found in other parts of the world, along with higher levels of magnesium.
—
Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Aug. 2024
There was less of the mineral pyroxene and higher concentrations of magnesium in the rock.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 8 Aug. 2024
So, take something like plagioclase, pyroxene and olivine, the most abundant minerals in basalt and all anhydrous (lacking water in their structure) and plop it for thousands to millions of years in a wet environment like an ocean floor.
—Erik Klemetti, Discover Magazine, 27 June 2024
These rocks are often heavy in minerals like olivine and pyroxene.
—Matt Benoit, Discover Magazine, 19 Dec. 2023
The cores are largely made of peridotite, an igneous rock made of the minerals pyroxene and olivine, that is the most common type of rock in the upper mantle, per the Washington Post.
—Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 June 2023
On Mars, beneath a layer of rusting iron minerals that gives the planet its famous reddish hue, lies a thicker layer of silicates with names like feldspar, pyroxene, and olivine, which are made up of silicon and oxygen structures bonded to metals like iron, aluminum, and magnesium.
—IEEE Spectrum, 30 Oct. 2018
Oman’s mantle peridotite rocks contain high levels of magnesium and calcium in two abundant minerals: olivine and pyroxene.
—Douglas Fox, Scientific American, 1 July 2021
Two of those five particles contained the mineral pyroxene, which on Earth often contains water.
—Korey Haynes, Discover Magazine, 2 May 2019
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Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Aug. 2024
There was less of the mineral pyroxene and higher concentrations of magnesium in the rock.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 8 Aug. 2024
So, take something like plagioclase, pyroxene and olivine, the most abundant minerals in basalt and all anhydrous (lacking water in their structure) and plop it for thousands to millions of years in a wet environment like an ocean floor.
—Erik Klemetti, Discover Magazine, 27 June 2024
These rocks are often heavy in minerals like olivine and pyroxene.
—Matt Benoit, Discover Magazine, 19 Dec. 2023
The cores are largely made of peridotite, an igneous rock made of the minerals pyroxene and olivine, that is the most common type of rock in the upper mantle, per the Washington Post.
—Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 June 2023
On Mars, beneath a layer of rusting iron minerals that gives the planet its famous reddish hue, lies a thicker layer of silicates with names like feldspar, pyroxene, and olivine, which are made up of silicon and oxygen structures bonded to metals like iron, aluminum, and magnesium.
—IEEE Spectrum, 30 Oct. 2018
Oman’s mantle peridotite rocks contain high levels of magnesium and calcium in two abundant minerals: olivine and pyroxene.
—Douglas Fox, Scientific American, 1 July 2021
Two of those five particles contained the mineral pyroxene, which on Earth often contains water.
—Korey Haynes, Discover Magazine, 2 May 2019
Dictionary Entries Near pyroxene
Cite this Entry
“Pyroxene.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pyroxene. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
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pyroxene
noun
py·rox·ene
pī-ˈräk-ˌsēn
: any of various silicate minerals that usually contain aluminum, calcium, sodium, magnesium, or iron
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