Dr.

HARI SINGH GOUR

VISHWAVIDYALAYA SAGAR M.P.
DEPARTMENT OF APPLIED GEOLOGY

SEMINAR PRESENTATION
on
PYROXENE GROUP
G U I D ED B Y PRESENTED BY
SHUBHAM MISHRA
P R O F. A . K . S H A N D I LYA Y21251052
M. TECH I SEM
 CONTENTS
• Introduction
• Position of pyroxene in Bowen,s Reaction Series
• General formula
• Structure
• I-beam structure and Pyroxene cleavage
• Members of pyroxene group
• Physical properties
• Optical properties
• Paragenesis and varieties
• References
 INTRODUCTION
• Rock forming ferromagnesian silicates.

• Derived from Greek word pyro meaning “fire” and xenos

meaning “stranger”.

• Orthorhomic and Monoclinic.

• Belong to Ino or single chain silicate minerals group

involving sharing of 2 oxygen atoms of a tetrahedral.
Position of pyroxene in Bowen’reaction series

• Pyroxene is the second mineral

crystallize in this discontinuous
series by reaction of olivine crystal
with melt

• Olivine crystal + melt = Pyroxene

crystal.

(courtesy of http://jersey.uoregon.edu/~mstrick/AskGeoMan/geoQuerry32.html
 GENERAL FORMULA
• (W)1-p (X,Y)1+P Z2O6
• W= Na, Ca (occupy M2 site)
• X= Mg, Fe+2, Li, Mn ( occupy M1 site; octahedral coordination)
• Y= Al, Fe+3, Ti ( occupy M1 site ; octahedral coordination)
• Z= Si, Al (in minor amount) ; (tetrahedral site)
• In orthorhombic pyroxenes, p= 1

• In monoclinic pyroxenes the value of p is mostly 0 (diopside) but varies up to 1

(augite)
• W, X, Y, Z indicates elements having similar ionic radii and capable of replacing
each other in a structure
 STRUCTURE
• Essential structure of all pyroxenes is the linkage of silica tetrahedra( i.e.Z)
by sharing two of the four corners to form continuous chains. The chains are
laterally linked by W, X, and Y cations which occupy two kinds of sites M1
and M2 .
• M2 is occupied by large cations such as Ca (in diopside) and Na (in jadeite)
and is located at the base of the tetrahedral.
• M1 site is occupied by smaller cations and lies between apices of
tetrahedral.
• In calcium free pyroxene e.g. orthopyroxenes, both M1 and M2 sites are
occupied by Fe & Mg but M2 has greater site preference for Fe.
• The size and charge of the cations that occupy the M2 site chiefly determine
the structural type of a pyroxene.
 STRUCTURE OF PYROXENE

• Figure : Single pyroxene chain, (SiO3)n, in three projections: (A)

along the c axis direction, (B) on (100), a plane that intersects
the a axis and is parallel to the b and c axes, and (C) along
the b axis direction.
 I-beam structure and Pyroxene cleavage

'I' shaped structure or I- • The bold step-like line marks the weak
beam bond between adjacent chains of I-beams
source-
https://epgp.inflibnet.ac.in/epgpdata/uploads/epgp_con
which is responsible for nearly right-angle
tent/S000448GO/P000595/M022504/ET/1505371265E-t
ext_Inosilicates-pyroxenes.pdf
(actually 87-930) cleavage of pyroxenes.
 MEMBERS OF PYROXENE GROUP
1- Orthorhombic pyroxenes
Enstatite, MgSiO3 (or Mg2Si2O6) (contain Less than 15% FeSiO3)
Hypersthene, (Mg,Fe2+)SiO3 ( contain more than 15% FeSiO3)
2- Monoclinic pyroxenes
a)Diopside- Hedenbergite series(non aluminous series)
Diopside, CaMgSi2O6
Hedenbergite, CaFe2+Si2O6
b)Pigeonite, (Ca,Mg)(Mg,Fe)Si2O6
c)Augite series( aluminous)
Augite, (Ca,Mg,Fe,Al)2(Al,Si)2O6
d)Alkali pyroxene series
Acmite, Aegirite, NaFe+3Si2O6
Aegirite- augite, transitional between augite and aegirite
Jadeite, NaAlSi2O6
Spodumene, LiAlSi2O6
Ternary diagram showing the principal
pyroxene end members.
https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2015370
118
 PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
  Enstatite Hypersthene Diopside Augite Aegerine

Physical Properties
Colour Green to t Greenish black greenish Greenish black Brownish
colourless o to greenish

Lustre Vitreous to t submetallic vitreous vitreous vitreous

pearly o
Form Prismatic Rare; prismatic Prismatic prismatic Long
crystals; prismatic
granular crystals
Cleavage Well Good ; good 2 sets meeting at 900 a distinct
developed t
(2sets which
intersect at
900)

Hardness 5.5 5-6 5-6 5-6 6-6.5

G 3.1-3.3 3.4-3.5 3.2-3.8 3.2-3.5 3.5-3.55
Continued…

(a)
Figure- Two examples of clinopyroxenes ; (a) augite, principally a Ca-Mg-Fe clinopyroxene, forms prismatic crystals
and displays two prominent cleavages that intersect at 87 0 and 930 , the cleavage angles help distinguish
clinopyroxene from hornblende; (b) several large euhedral crystals of hedenbergite( Ca-Fe clinopyroxene) in a
pyroxene feldspar matrix.
Source- Mineralogy by Dexter Perkins
 OPTICAL PROPERTIES
Orthopyroxene

Enstatite Occurs as colourless to pale greenish grains in ppl, transverse sections of crystals show twio set
cleavage- cracks at nearly 900, low polarization colours, straight extinction, optically( +ve.)

Hypersthene Characteristic short prismatic form, strong pleochroic from green to pink, low order polarization
colours, straight extinction, optically (-ve)
Clinopyroxene

Diopside Colourless to very faint green colour in ppl, high birefringence 2nd and 3rd order polarization
colours, inclined extinction, extinction angle 38-400, optically (+ve)

Augite Short prismatic ,basal section eight sided, prismatic four, yellowish brown coloured in ppl, high
positive relief, non pleochroic, 2nd order polarization colours, cleavage angle on basal sections
nearly at 900, extinction on clinopinacoid 480, optically (+ve)
Alkali pyroxene Resembles more to amphiboles , strongly pleochroic in brown green shades, long prismatic basa
Acmite, Aegerine section, six sided strong birefringence than augite, low extinction angle
Continued…..

An augite phenocryst (large individual gray

Orthopyroxene in a charnokite from Norway. Historically known crystal) appears in basalt lava, showing
as hypersthene, a name used for intermediate compositions characteristic basal octagonal form and square-
between enstatite and ferrosilite. Pink/green pleochroism and
segmentation cleavage.(xpl)
low birefringence than most common clinopyroxenes are useful
Source-
distinguishing characteristics.(in ppl)
Source-.
https://www.britannica.com/science/mineral-chemical-c
ompound/Crystal-habit-and-crystal-aggregation
Continued…..
Calcite and diopside (green) crystals in a
marble. Candoglia, Ivrea Verbano, Italy. PPL
image, 10x (Field of view = 2mm)
Source-
https://www.alexstrekeisen.it/english/meta/
diopsidemarble.php
. Acmite is strongly coloured and pleochroic in
shades of green, yellow and brown .(ppl image)
Source-
https://www.science.smith.edu/geosciences/pet
rology/petrography/aegirine/aegirine.html
 PARAGENESIS
• Occurs in igneous and metamorphic rocks
• Orthopyroxenes (Enstatite & hypersthene):
• Enstatite is an important member of ultrabasic rocks such as pyroxenites,
harzburgites, lherzolites, picrites. Members of many layered complexes and
mantle xenoliths.Also known from meteorites.
• Hypersthene is an important constituent of charnockite rock and is a typical
member of granulite facies metamorphism.
• Clinopyroxenes:
• Pigeonite is essentially found in volcanic rocks e.g andesites, dolerites etc and in
some meteorites.
• Augite is most common pyroxene and is also most abundant ferromagnesium
mineral. It is found basalts, gabbros and in some andesites.
Continued….
• Diopside and hedenbergite are found in medium-to high grade metamorphosed
rocks rich in calcium e.g. metamorphosed limestones.
• Aegerine (or acmite) is found associated with nepheline syenites and rarely in
pegmatites and granites.
• Jadiete is an important mineral in glaucophane schist facies metamorphism (high
pressure metamorphism).
• Spodumene is found in pegmatites.
• Varities:
• Bronzite –a Fe rich variety of enstatite
• Coccolite- a granular variety of diopside
• Diallage –a variety of augite having a foliated mass appearance
 REFERENCES
• READ H.H. , Rutley's elements of mineralogy. - 26th edition, George Allen & Unwin LTD.
Page NO. 380
• Perkins Dexter , - Mineralogy , 3rd edition , Pearson Publication , Page No. 150

• http://jersey.uoregon.edu/~mstrick/AskGeoMan/geoQuerry32.html
• https://www.britannica.com/science/pyroxene/Crystal-structure
• https://epgp.inflibnet.ac.in/epgpdata/uploads/epgp_content/S000448GO/P000595/M02250
4/ET/1505371265E-text_Inosilicates-pyroxenes.pdf

• http://www.geosecslides.co.uk/minerals/Opx%20GeosecMIA.htm
• https://www.britannica.com/science/mineral-chemical-compound/Crystal-habit-and-crystal-ag
gregation
• https://www.alexstrekeisen.it/english/meta/diopsidemarble.php
• https://www.science.smith.edu/geosciences/petrology/petrography/aegirine/aegirine.html
• https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2015370118
Thankyou