Pyroxene
The pyroxenes (commonly abbreviated Px) are a group of important rock-forming
The name pyroxene is derived from the Ancient Greek words for 'fire' (πυρ, pur) and 'stranger' (ξένος, xénos). Pyroxenes were so named due to their presence in volcanic lavas, where they are sometimes found as crystals embedded in volcanic glass; it was assumed they were impurities in the glass, hence the name meaning "fire stranger". However, they are simply early-forming minerals that crystallized before the lava erupted.
The
Structure
Pyroxenes are the most common single-chain silicate minerals. (The only other important group of single-chain silicates, the
The tetrahedra in the chain all face in the same direction, so that two oxygen ions are located on one face of the chain for every oxygen ion on the other face of the chain. The oxygen ions on the narrower face are described as apical oxygen ions. Pairs of chains are bound together on their apical sides by Y cations, with each Y cation surrounded by six oxygen ions. The resulting pairs of single chains have sometimes been likened to
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A single chain of silicon tetrahedra viewed in the [100] direction
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A single chain of silica tetrahedra viewed in the [010] direction
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Structure of pyroxene looking along the silica chains. "I-beams" are outlined in green. Silicon ions are oversized to emphasize the silicon chains.
Chemistry and nomenclature
The chain silicate structure of the pyroxenes offers much flexibility in the incorporation of various
A typical pyroxene has mostly silicon in the tetrahedral site and predominately ions with a charge of +2 in both the X and Y sites, giving the approximate formula XYT2O6. The names of the common calcium–iron–magnesium pyroxenes are defined in the 'pyroxene quadrilateral'. The
Magnesium, calcium and iron are by no means the only cations that can occupy the X and Y sites in the pyroxene structure. A second important series of pyroxene minerals are the sodium-rich pyroxenes, corresponding to the 'pyroxene triangle' nomenclature. The inclusion of sodium, which has a charge of +1, into the pyroxene implies the need for a mechanism to make up the "missing" positive charge. In
A wide range of other cations that can be accommodated in the different sites of pyroxene structures.
T | Si | Al | Fe3+ | ||||||||||||||
Y | Al | Fe3+ | Ti4+ | Cr | V | Ti3+ | Zr | Sc | Zn | Mg | Fe2+ | Mn | |||||
X | Mg | Fe2+ | Mn | Li | Ca | Na |
In assigning ions to sites, the basic rule is to work from left to right in this table, first assigning all silicon to the T site and then filling the site with the remaining aluminium and finally iron(III); extra aluminium or iron can be accommodated in the Y site and bulkier ions on the X site.
Not all the resulting mechanisms to achieve charge neutrality follow the sodium example above, and there are several alternative schemes:
- Coupled substitutions of 1+ and 3+ ions on the X and Y sites respectively. For example, Na and Al give the jadeite (NaAlSi2O6) composition.
- Coupled substitution of a 1+ ion on the X site and a mixture of equal numbers of 2+ and 4+ ions on the Y site. This leads to e.g., NaFe2+0.5Ti4+0.5Si2O6.
- The Tschermak substitution where a 3+ ion occupies the Y site and a T site leading to e.g., CaAlAlSiO6.
In nature, more than one substitution may be found in the same mineral.
Pyroxene minerals
- Clinopyroxenes (monoclinic)
- Aegirine, NaFe3+Si2O6
- Augite, (Ca,Na)(Mg,Fe,Al,Ti)(Si,Al)2O6
- Clinoenstatite, MgSiO3
- Diopside, CaMgSi2O6
- Esseneite, CaFe3+[AlSiO6]
- Hedenbergite, CaFe2+Si2O6
- Jadeite, Na(Al,Fe3+)Si2O6
- Jervisite, (Na,Ca,Fe2+)(Sc,Mg,Fe2+)Si2O6
- Johannsenite, CaMn2+Si2O6
- Kanoite, Mn2+(Mg,Mn2+)Si2O6
- Kosmochlor, NaCrSi2O6
- Namansilite, NaMn3+Si2O6
- Natalyite, NaV3+Si2O6
- Omphacite, (Ca,Na)(Mg,Fe2+,Al)Si2O6
- Petedunnite, Ca(Zn,Mn2+,Mg,Fe2+)Si2O6
- Pigeonite, (Ca,Mg,Fe)(Mg,Fe)Si2O6
- Spodumene, LiAl(SiO3)2
- Orthopyroxenes (orthorhombic)
- Enstatite, Mg2Si2O6
- Bronzite, intermediate between enstatite and hypersthene
- Hypersthene, (Mg,Fe)SiO3
- Eulite, intermediate between hypersthene and ferrosilite
- Ferrosilite, Fe2Si2O6
- Donpeacorite, (MgMn)MgSi2O6
- Nchwaningite, Mn2+2SiO3(OH)2·(H2O)
See also
References
- ISSN 0009-2541.
- ISSN 1460-2415.
- ^ ISBN 9780195106916.
- ^ Morimoto, N.; Fabries, J.; Ferguson, A.K.; Ginzburg, I.V.; Ross, M.; Seifeit, F.A.; Zussman, J. (1989). "Nomenclature of pyroxenes" (PDF). Canadian Mineralogist. 27: 143–156. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 March 2008.
- ^ Brown, Dwayne (October 30, 2012). "NASA Rover's First Soil Studies Help Fingerprint Martian Minerals". NASA. Retrieved October 31, 2012.
- C. Michael Hogan (2010). Calcium. eds. A. Jorgensen, C. Cleveland. Encyclopedia of Earth. National Council for Science and the Environment.
External links
- Mineral Galleries
- Video Section: Lunar Explorers (link to youtube: The Lunar Crust)
- Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 22 (11th ed.). 1911. p. 696. .