Orthopyroxenite
Orthopyroxene rich endmember of the pyroxenite family.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Orthopyroxenite is an ultramafic rock that is almost exclusively made from the mineral orthopyroxene, the orthorhombic version of pyroxene and a type of pyroxenite. It can have up to a few percent of olivine and clinopyroxene. If it contains between 5 and 40% olivine, it is an olivine orthopyroxenite. If it contains over 40% olivine and orthopyroxene, it is a harzburgite.
ClassificationUltramafic
Primaryorthopyroxene
Secondaryolivine, clinopyroxene, hornblende, spinel, chromite, garnet, anorthite
TexturePhaneritic
| Igneous rock | |
 ALH 84001 is an extraterrestrial example of an orthopyroxenite. It is an achondrite meteorite from Mars. | |
| Composition | |
|---|---|
| Classification | Ultramafic |
| Primary | orthopyroxene |
| Secondary | olivine, clinopyroxene, hornblende, spinel, chromite, garnet, anorthite |
| Texture | Phaneritic |
Orthopyroxenites can also occur on other planets. ALH 84001 is a Martian meteorite that can be classified as an orthopyroxenite. It is the only meteorite found with that composition and the only member of the Martian orthopyroxenite group of meteorites.[1]
