We can use olivine as a “crystal clock” to determine the timing of magmatic events leading up to eruption which was discussed in detail in a previous Volcano Watch here. Two other minerals that we ...

However, looking at light reflected by the asteroid to deduce its composition – rich in pyroxene but low in olivine – revealed that it does match samples from the moon collected by the Apollo ...

Seawater seeps down into the mantle and heats up. As the seawater hits the minerals, the olivine and pyroxene within the periodite turn into serpentine minerals and produce hydrocarbons.