2. A group of layered silicate minerals, usually green or white in colour, that are similar to the micas in structure and crystallize in the monoclinic system. Chlorites are composed of complex silicates of aluminium, magnesium, and iron in combination with water, with the formula (Mg,Al,Fe)12(Si,Al)8O20(OH)16. They are most common in low-grade metamorphic rocks and also occur as secondary minerals in igneous rocks as alteration products of pyroxenes, amphiboles, and micas. The term is derived from chloros, the Greek word for green.