What is Pyroxene?
[[Image:Orthopyroxenite (ALH84001).gif|thumb|A sample of pyroxenite, a rock consisting mostly of pyroxene minerals.]] [[File:Diopside-172005.jpg|thumb|Pyroxene]] The '''pyroxenes''' are a group of important rock-forming [[silicate mineral|inosilicate]] [[mineral]]s found in many [[igneous]] and [[metamorphic rock|metamorphic]] [[rock (geology)|rocks]]. They share a common structure consisting of single chains of silica crystals with the general formula XY(Si,Al)<sub>2</sub>O<sub>6</sub> where X and Y represents metal [[ion]]s. Although [[aluminium]] substitutes extensively for silicon in silicates such as [[feldspar]]s and [[amphibole]]s, the substitution occurs only to a limited extent in most pyroxenes. '''Pyroxenite''' is an igneous rock made up of minerals from the pyroxene group. [[Category:Minerals]] [[Category:Igneous rocks]]