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Metamorphicrock
FromWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

Metamorphicrocksarisefromthetransformationofexistingrock
types,inaprocesscalledmetamorphism,whichmeans"changein
form".[1]Theoriginalrock(protolith)issubjectedtoheat(temperatures
greaterthan150to200C)andpressure(1500bars),[2]causing
profoundphysicaland/orchemicalchange.Theprotolithmaybea
sedimentaryrock,anigneousrockoranotheroldermetamorphicrock.
MetamorphicrocksmakeupalargepartoftheEarth'scrustandare
classifiedbytextureandbychemicalandmineralassemblage
(metamorphicfacies).Theymaybeformedsimplybybeingdeep
Quartzite,aformofmetamorphic
beneaththeEarth'ssurface,subjectedtohightemperaturesandthe
rock,fromtheMuseumof
greatpressureoftherocklayersaboveit.Theycanformfromtectonic
GeologyatUniversityofTartu
processessuchascontinentalcollisions,whichcausehorizontal
collection.
pressure,frictionanddistortion.Theyarealsoformedwhenrockis
heatedupbytheintrusionofhotmoltenrockcalledmagmafromthe
Earth'sinterior.Thestudyofmetamorphicrocks(nowexposedattheEarth'ssurfacefollowingerosionand
uplift)providesinformationaboutthetemperaturesandpressuresthatoccuratgreatdepthswithinthe
Earth'scrust.Someexamplesofmetamorphicrocksaregneiss,slate,marble,schist,andquartzite.

Contents
1Metamorphicminerals
2Foliation
3Typesofmetamorphism
3.1Contactmetamorphism
3.2Regionalmetamorphism
4Metamorphicrocktextures
5Seealso
6References
7Externallinks

Metamorphicminerals
Metamorphicmineralsarethosethatformonlyatthehightemperaturesandpressuresassociatedwiththe
processofmetamorphism.Theseminerals,knownasindexminerals,includesillimanite,kyanite,staurolite,
andalusite,andsomegarnet.
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Otherminerals,suchasolivines,pyroxenes,amphiboles,micas,feldspars,andquartz,maybefoundin
metamorphicrocks,butarenotnecessarilytheresultoftheprocessofmetamorphism.Theseminerals
formedduringthecrystallizationofigneousrocks.Theyarestableathightemperaturesandpressuresand
mayremainchemicallyunchangedduringthemetamorphicprocess.However,allmineralsarestableonly
withincertainlimits,andthepresenceofsomemineralsinmetamorphicrocksindicatestheapproximate
temperaturesandpressuresatwhichtheyformed.
Thechangeintheparticlesizeoftherockduringtheprocessofmetamorphismiscalledrecrystallization.
Forinstance,thesmallcalcitecrystalsinthesedimentaryrocklimestoneandchalkchangeintolarger
crystalsinthemetamorphicrockmarble,orinmetamorphosedsandstone,recrystallizationoftheoriginal
quartzsandgrainsresultsinverycompactquartzite,alsoknownasmetaquartzite,inwhichtheoftenlarger
quartzcrystalsareinterlocked.Bothhightemperaturesandpressurescontributetorecrystallization.High
temperaturesallowtheatomsandionsinsolidcrystalstomigrate,thusreorganizingthecrystals,whilehigh
pressurescausesolutionofthecrystalswithintherockattheirpointofcontact.

Foliation
Thelayeringwithinmetamorphicrocksiscalledfoliation
(derivedfromtheLatinwordfolia,meaning"leaves"),andit
occurswhenarockisbeingshortenedalongoneaxisduring
recrystallization.Thiscausestheplatyorelongatedcrystalsof
minerals,suchasmicaandchlorite,tobecomerotatedsuchthat
theirlongaxesareperpendiculartotheorientationof
shortening.Thisresultsinabanded,orfoliatedrock,withthe
bandsshowingthecolorsofthemineralsthatformedthem.
Texturesareseparatedintofoliatedandnonfoliatedcategories.
Foliatedrockisaproductofdifferentialstressthatdeformsthe
rockinoneplane,sometimescreatingaplaneofcleavage.For
example,slateisafoliatedmetamorphicrock,originatingfrom
shale.Nonfoliatedrockdoesnothaveplanarpatternsofstrain.

Foldedfoliationinametamorphicrock
fromnearGeirangerfjord,Norway

Rocksthatweresubjectedtouniformpressurefromallsides,orthosethatlackmineralswithdistinctive
growthhabits,willnotbefoliated.Wherearockhasbeensubjecttodifferentialstress,thetypeoffoliation
thatdevelopsdependsonthemetamorphicgrade.Forinstance,startingwithamudstone,thefollowing
sequencedevelopswithincreasingtemperature:slateisaveryfinegrained,foliatedmetamorphicrock,
characteristicofverylowgrademetamorphism,whilephylliteisfinegrainedandfoundinareasoflow
grademetamorphism,schistismediumtocoarsegrainedandfoundinareasofmediumgrade
metamorphism,andgneisscoarsetoverycoarsegrained,foundinareasofhighgrademetamorphism.[3]
Marbleisgenerallynotfoliated,whichallowsitsuseasamaterialforsculptureandarchitecture.
Anotherimportantmechanismofmetamorphismisthatofchemicalreactionsthatoccurbetweenminerals
withoutthemmelting.Intheprocessatomsareexchangedbetweentheminerals,andthusnewmineralsare
formed.Manycomplexhightemperaturereactionsmaytakeplace,andeachmineralassemblageproduced
providesuswithaclueastothetemperaturesandpressuresatthetimeofmetamorphism.

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Metasomatismisthedrasticchangeinthebulkchemicalcompositionofarockthatoftenoccursduringthe
processesofmetamorphism.Itisduetotheintroductionofchemicalsfromothersurroundingrocks.Water
maytransportthesechemicalsrapidlyovergreatdistances.Becauseoftheroleplayedbywater,
metamorphicrocksgenerallycontainmanyelementsabsentfromtheoriginalrock,andlacksomethat
originallywerepresent.Still,theintroductionofnewchemicalsisnotnecessaryforrecrystallizationto
occur.

Typesofmetamorphism
Contactmetamorphism
Contactmetamorphismisthenamegiventothechangesthattake
placewhenmagmaisinjectedintothesurroundingsolidrock
(countryrock).Thechangesthatoccuraregreatestwhereverthe
magmacomesintocontactwiththerockbecausethetemperatures
arehighestatthisboundaryanddecreasewithdistancefromit.
Aroundtheigneousrockthatformsfromthecoolingmagmaisa
metamorphosedzonecalledacontactmetamorphismaureole.
Aureolesmayshowalldegreesofmetamorphismfromthecontact
areatounmetamorphosed(unchanged)countryrocksomedistance
away.Theformationofimportantoremineralsmayoccurbythe
processofmetasomatismatornearthecontactzone.

Acontactmetamorphicrockmadeof
interlayeredcalciteandserpentine
fromthePrecambrianofCanada.
Oncethoughttobeafossilcalled
Eozoncanadense.Scaleinmm.

Whenarockiscontactalteredbyanigneousintrusionitvery
frequentlybecomesmoreindurated,andmorecoarselycrystalline.
Manyalteredrocksofthistypewereformerlycalledhornstones,
andthetermhornfelsisoftenusedbygeologiststosignifythose
finegrained,compact,nonfoliatedproductsofcontact
metamorphism.Ashalemaybecomeadarkargillaceoushornfels,
fulloftinyplatesofbrownishbiotiteamarlorimpurelimestone
maychangetoagrey,yelloworgreenishlimesilicatehornfelsor
siliceousmarble,toughandsplintery,withabundantaugite,garnet,
wollastoniteandothermineralsinwhichcalciteisanimportant
component.Adiabaseorandesitemaybecomeadiabasehornfelsor
andesitehornfelswithdevelopmentofnewhornblendeandbiotite
andapartialrecrystallizationoftheoriginalfeldspar.Chertorflint
maybecomeafinelycrystallinequartzrocksandstoneslosetheirclasticstructureandareconvertedintoa
mosaicofsmallclosefittinggrainsofquartzinametamorphicrockcalledquartzite.
Iftherockwasoriginallybandedorfoliated(as,forexample,alaminatedsandstoneorafoliatedcalc
schist)thischaractermaynotbeobliterated,andabandedhornfelsistheproductfossilsevenmayhave
theirshapespreserved,thoughentirelyrecrystallized,andinmanycontactalteredlavasthevesiclesarestill
visible,thoughtheircontentshaveusuallyenteredintonewcombinationstoformmineralsthatwerenot
originallypresent.Theminutestructures,however,disappear,oftencompletely,ifthethermalalterationis
veryprofound.Thussmallgrainsofquartzinashalearelostorblendwiththesurroundingparticlesof
clay,andthefinegroundmassoflavasisentirelyreconstructed.

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Byrecrystallizationinthismannerpeculiarrocksofverydistincttypesareoftenproduced.Thusshalesmay
passintocordieriterocks,ormayshowlargecrystalsofandalusite(andchiastolite),staurolite,garnet,
kyaniteandsillimanite,allderivedfromthealuminouscontentoftheoriginalshale.Aconsiderableamount
ofmica(bothmuscoviteandbiotite)isoftensimultaneouslyformed,andtheresultingproducthasaclose
resemblancetomanykindsofschist.Limestones,ifpure,areoftenturnedintocoarselycrystallinemarbles
butiftherewasanadmixtureofclayorsandintheoriginalrocksuchmineralsasgarnet,epidote,idocrase,
wollastonite,willbepresent.Sandstoneswhengreatlyheatedmaychangeintocoarsequartzitescomposed
oflargecleargrainsofquartz.Thesemoreintensestagesofalterationarenotsocommonlyseeninigneous
rocks,becausetheirminerals,beingformedathightemperatures,arenotsoeasilytransformedor
recrystallized.
Inafewcasesrocksarefusedandinthedarkglassyproductminutecrystalsofspinel,sillimaniteand
cordieritemayseparateout.Shalesareoccasionallythusalteredbybasaltdikes,andfeldspathicsandstones
maybecompletelyvitrified.Similarchangesmaybeinducedinshalesbytheburningofcoalseamsoreven
byanordinaryfurnace.
Thereisalsoatendencyformetasomatismbetweentheigneousmagmaandsedimentarycountryrock,
wherebythechemicalsineachareexchangedorintroducedintotheother.Granitesmayabsorbfragments
ofshaleorpiecesofbasalt.Inthatcase,hybridrockscalledskarnarise,whichdon'thavethecharacteristics
ofnormaligneousorsedimentaryrocks.Sometimesaninvadinggranitemagmapermeatestherocks
around,fillingtheirjointsandplanesofbedding,etc.,withthreadsofquartzandfeldspar.Thisisvery
exceptionalbutinstancesofitareknownanditmaytakeplaceonalargescale.[4]

Regionalmetamorphism
Regionalmetamorphism,alsoknownasdynamic
metamorphism,isthenamegiventochangesingreatmassesof
rockoverawidearea.Rockscanbemetamorphosedsimplyby
beingatgreatdepthsbelowtheEarth'ssurface,subjectedtohigh
temperaturesandthegreatpressurecausedbytheimmenseweight
oftherocklayersabove.Muchofthelowercontinentalcrustis
metamorphic,exceptforrecentigneousintrusions.Horizontal
tectonicmovementssuchasthecollisionofcontinentscreate
orogenicbelts,andcausehightemperatures,pressuresand
deformationintherocksalongthesebelts.Ifthemetamorphosed
rocksarelaterupliftedandexposedbyerosion,theymayoccurin
longbeltsorotherlargeareasatthesurface.Theprocessof
metamorphismmayhavedestroyedtheoriginalfeaturesthatcould
haverevealedtherock'sprevioushistory.Recrystallization
oftherockwilldestroythetexturesandfossilspresentin
sedimentaryrocks.Metasomatismwillchangetheoriginal
composition.
Regionalmetamorphismtendstomaketherockmore
induratedandatthesametimetogiveitafoliated,shistose
orgneissictexture,consistingofaplanararrangementofthe
minerals,sothatplatyorprismaticmineralslikemicaand
hornblendehavetheirlongestaxesarrangedparalleltoone
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metamorphic_rock

MississippianmarbleinBig
CottonwoodCanyon,Wasatch
Mountains,Utah.

Dynamicmetamorphism

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another.Forthatreasonmanyoftheserockssplitreadilyinonedirectionalongmicabearingzones
(schists).Ingneisses,mineralsalsotendtobesegregatedintobandsthusthereareseamsofquartzandof
micainamicaschist,verythin,butconsistingessentiallyofonemineral.Alongtheminerallayers
composedofsoftorfissilemineralstherockswillsplitmostreadily,andthefreshlysplitspecimenswill
appeartobefacedorcoatedwiththismineralforexample,apieceofmicaschistlookedatfacewisemight
besupposedtoconsistentirelyofshiningscalesofmica.Ontheedgeofthespecimens,however,thewhite
foliaofgranularquartzwillbevisible.Ingneissesthesealternatingfoliaaresometimesthickerandless
regularthaninschists,butmostimportantlylessmicaceoustheymaybelenticular,dyingoutrapidly.
Gneissesalso,asarule,containmorefeldsparthanschistsdo,andaretougherandlessfissile.Contortion
orcrumblingofthefoliationisbynomeansuncommonsplittingfacesareunduloseorpuckered.
Schistosityandgneissicbanding(thetwomaintypesoffoliation)areformedbydirectedpressureat
elevatedtemperature,andtointerstitialmovement,orinternalflowarrangingthemineralparticleswhile
theyarecrystallizinginthatdirectedpressurefield.
Rocksthatwereoriginallysedimentaryandrocksthatwereundoubtedlyigneousmaybemetamorphosed
intoschistsandgneisses.Iforiginallyofsimilarcompositiontheymaybeverydifficulttodistinguishfrom
oneanotherifthemetamorphismhasbeengreat.Aquartzporphyry,forexample,andafinefeldspathic
sandstone,maybothbemetamorphosedintoagreyorpinkmicaschist.[4]

Metamorphicrocktextures
Thefivebasicmetamorphictextureswithtypicalrocktypesareslaty(includesslateandphyllitethe
foliationiscalled"slatycleavage"),schistose(includesschistthefoliationiscalled"schistosity"),
gneissose(gneissthefoliationiscalled"gneissosity"),granoblastic(includesgranulite,somemarblesand
quartzite),andhornfelsic(includeshornfelsandskarn).

Seealso
Blueschist
Listofrocktypes
Listofrocktextures
Metavolcanicrock
Neomorphism

References
1. Dictionary.comentry(http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/metamorphism?s=t).Retrieved14Jan2014.
2. Blatt,HarveyandRobertJ.Tracy,Petrology,W.H.Freeman,2nded.,1996,p.355ISBN0716724383
3. WicanderR.&MunroeJ.(2005).EssentialsofGeology(https://books.google.co.uk/books?
id=7l7FfgRr1TwC&pg=PA175&dq=shale+phyllite+slate+schist+mudrock+metamorphism&hl=en&sa=X&ei=wY
_DVPSdI83saojCgDg&ved=0CEgQ6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q=shale%20phyllite%20slate%20schist%20mudrock
%20metamorphism&f=false).CengageLearning.pp.174177.ISBN9780495013655.
4.

Oneormoreoftheprecedingsentencesincorporatestextfromapublicationnowinthepublic

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domain:Chisholm,Hugh,ed.(1911)."Petrology".EncyclopdiaBritannica(11thed.).CambridgeUniversity
Press.

Externallinks
MetamorphictexturesMiddleEastTechnicalUniversity

WikimediaCommonshas
mediarelatedto
Metamorphicrock.

(http://www.metu.edu.tr/home/www64/geoweb/Metamorphic.htm)
TypesofmetamorphismTulaneU.
(http://www.tulane.edu/~sanelson/geol212/typesmetamorph.htm)
Contactmetamorphismexample
(http://www.geographyinaction.co.uk/Assets/Photo_albums/Eleven/pages/Marble.html)
MetamorphicRockDatabase((http://metpetdb.rpi.edu)MetPetDB)DepartmentofEarthand
EnvironmentalSciences,RensselaerPolytechnicInstitute
MetamorphicRocksTour,anintroductiontometamorphicrocks
(http://geology.cnsm.ad.csulb.edu/people/bperry/metarock/HOMEPAGE.htm)
Retrievedfrom"http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Metamorphic_rock&oldid=648101897"
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