(n.) A common mineral occurring in monoclinic crystals, with a prismatic angle of nearly 90ยก, and also in massive forms which are often laminated. It varies in color from white to dark green and black, and includes many varieties differing in color and composition, as diopside, malacolite, salite, coccolite, augite, etc. They are all silicates of lime and magnesia with sometimes alumina and iron. Pyroxene is an essential constituent of many rocks, especially basic igneous rocks, as basalt, gabbro, etc.
Example Sentences:
(1) A laboratory study of the interaction of H2O frost with samples of the minerals olivine (Mg,Fe)2SiO4 and pyroxene (Mg,Fe)SiO3 at -11 degrees C to -22 degrees C revealed that an acidic oxidant was produced.
Spodumene
Definition:
(n.) A mineral of a white to yellowish, purplish, or emerald-green color, occuring in prismatic crystals, often of great size. It is a silicate of aluminia and lithia. See Hiddenite.
Example Sentences:
(1) Degradation of spodumene and bed rocks was found to occur in moist regions containing cracks; it was accompanied with a decrease in pH.
(2) Furthermore, plate-like segments of each of CP, apatite (AP), mica-beta-spodumene (MIS) and mica (MIC) groups were subjected to experiment at various indentation loads at a fixed loading time to study the effects of indentation load on KIC in four kinds of Castable Ceramics.
(3) A wide spectrum of heterotrophic and autotrophic microorganisms was detected in the zones of decomposition of spodumene and bed rocks, pegmatites and shales, in the spodumene deposit.
(4) A possible role of microorganisms in decomposition of spodumene as well as removal of elements is discussed.