AUGITE

the most common pyroxene mineral (a silicate of calcium, magnesium, iron, titanium, and aluminum). It occurs chiefly as thick, tabular crystals in basalts, gabbros, andesites, and various other dark-coloured igneous rocks. It also is a common constituent of lunar basalts and meteorites rich in basaltic material. Augites with a composition similar to that of diopside may be found in certain metamorphic rocks, notably marbles. For chemical formula and detailed physical properties, see pyroxene (table). Because there is a continuous chemical variation between the diopside-hedenbergite series and augite, these minerals are nearly indistinguishable from one another. For this reason, the term augite sometimes is used to designate any pyroxene with monoclinic symmetry (three unequal crystallographic axes with one oblique intersection).