Augite Luster: Understanding Its Glassy and Shiny Appearance

Well, let me tell ya somethin’ ’bout this thing called augite. It’s a type of rock, ya see, and it comes from the big ol’ family of pyroxenes, which are a fancy word for a bunch of minerals that make up a lot of the Earth’s crust. Now, augite ain’t some rare thing, no sir! You can find big ol’ crystals of it in all sorts of places, especially in rocks that come from deep down in the Earth. It’s one of the most common types of pyroxene, if ya ask me.

Now, the thing about augite is that it’s what we call a “clinopyroxene.” That’s just a way of sayin’ it’s one of those minerals with a certain kinda structure that’s different from other pyroxenes, like the orthopyroxenes, which is another fancy word for a different group of minerals. They might look kinda similar, but if you look real close at how the light hits ’em, you can tell ‘em apart. Augite has this thing called “inclined extinction,” which means when you look through a thin slice of it, the mineral sorta goes dark at an angle. It’s real different from the orthopyroxenes, which got their own special ways of lookin’ dark.

But let’s get to the part I know y’all want to hear about: the shine! Now, augite ain’t what you might think. You might think it’s got this fancy metallic luster, all shiny and sparkly, but nah, that’s not it. It’s more like a glassy shine, sorta like when you’ve got a nice smooth rock that’s been wet a little bit. Sometimes, when you break it, the pieces can look real shiny, but don’t be fooled, that’s just the way it breaks up. In the bigger picture, augite usually has a dull finish. It can be dark green, brown, or even black, and most of the time it ain’t too bright. But it sure is good at makin’ those rocks look a little shinier than they really are!

Augite mostly shows up in what we call mafic igneous rocks. Don’t go askin’ me what that means exactly, but it’s just a way of sayin’ it comes from rocks that are heavy on minerals like iron and magnesium. That’s the stuff that makes these rocks dark, see? And augite usually appears in thick, short crystals, sometimes lookin’ like squares or octagons when ya look at ‘em real close. These crystals can get pretty big, though, so don’t be surprised if ya find one as big as your hand in the right kinda rock.

Now, I don’t know if you’ve ever heard of this mineral before, but augite’s pretty important. It’s not just sittin’ around for no reason! It helps make up a lot of the rocks that we see every day, from the ground we walk on to the big ol’ mountains in the distance. And while most of the time it ain’t as shiny as you might hope, it’s still a key player in how the Earth’s rocks come together. You just gotta know where to look and what to look for!

Where can you find it?

• In mafic igneous rocks, like basalt or gabbro.
• In volcanic rocks, sometimes mixed with other minerals.
• Can be found in certain types of meteorites, too!

So next time you’re out walkin’ around, and you spot a rock that looks a little shiny and dark, it might just be augite. Don’t go thinkin’ it’s some kind of precious gem or nothin’, but know that it’s part of what makes this ol’ Earth of ours so special. Ain’t that somethin’ to think about?

Tags: [Augite, Pyroxene, Mineral, Mafic Rocks, Crystal, Luster, Earth Science]