The clinopyroxenes and the orthopyroxenes (q.v.) are the two divisions of the pyroxene group (q.v.). Both divisions are characterized by single chains of SiO4 tetrahedra sharing two of their four apical O2− ions so as to form an endless tetrahedral chain.
The clinopyroxenes, the larger of the two divisions, differ from the orthopyroxenes in that the stacking of the tetrahedral chains is staggered in the z-axis direction (Fig. 1). This stagger results in a monoclinic unit cell in contrast to the orthorhombic unit cell of the orthopyroxenes. A second difference between the two divisions is that, whereas, the b and c unit-cell edges are approximately the same, the a unit-cell edge of the orthopyroxenes is approximately twice that of the a unit cell of the clinopyroxenes.
Comparison of the structures of ortho- pyroxene and clinopyroxene (reprinted from Sir Lawrence Bragg, G. F. Claringbull, and W. H. Taylor: Crystal Structures of Minerals. © 1965 by G. Bell & Sons, Ltd. and used...
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References
Deer, W. A.; Howie, R. A.; and Zussman, J., 1978. Rock-Forming Minerals, Vol. 2A, Single-Chain Silicates. London: Longmans, 668p.
Fleischer, M., 1980. Glossary of Mineral Species. Tucson, Arizona; Mineralogical Record, Inc., 192p.
Papike, J. J., et al., eds., 1969. Pyroxenes and amphiboles: Crystal chemistry and phase petrology, Mineral. Soc. America Spec. Paper #2, 314p.
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© 1981 Hutchinson Ross Publishing Company
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Frye, K. (1981). Clinopyroxenes . In: Mineralogy. Encyclopedia of Earth Science. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/0-387-30720-6_24
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