as a cumulate formed by settling of pyroxene and plagioclase. An alternative name for gabbros formed by crystal settling is pyroxene-plagioclase adcumulate.

Gabbro is much less common than more silica-rich intrusive rocks in the continental crust of the Earth. Gabbro and gabbroids occur in some batholiths but these rocks are relatively minor components of these very large intrusions because their iron and calcium content