noun
- a group of dark-colored silicate minerals that are common in igneous and metamorphic rocks
Usage: geology; mineralogy
Examples
- Pyroxenes are essential components of basaltic rocks.
- The geologist identified several pyroxenes in the volcanic sample.
- Augite is one of the most common pyroxenes found in igneous rocks.
- The dark minerals in this gabbro are primarily pyroxenes and plagioclase.
- Pyroxenes crystallize at high temperatures during magma cooling.
- The meteorite contained pyroxenes typical of extraterrestrial materials.