A material which (according to some models) is regarded as typical of the earth's upper mantle, corresponding in composition to a mixture of basalt and dunite (peridotite), or to the minerals pyroxene and olivine.
Origin
1960s. From pyr- + ol- + -ite.
Definition of pyrolite in US English:
pyrolite
nounˈpʌɪrəlʌɪt
A material which (according to some models) is regarded as typical of the earth's upper mantle, corresponding in composition to a mixture of basalt and dunite (peridotite), or to the minerals pyroxene and olivine.