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    Chapter .5 Metamorphic Rock

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    HamzaBaig
    Metamorphic rocks form through the transformation of existing rock types when subjected to heat and pressure within the Earth's crust. The original rock undergoes physical and chemical changes causing it to recrystallize. Metamorphic rocks make up a large part of the Earth's crust and show layering or foliation due to flattening of minerals during recrystallization. There are two main types of metamorphism - contact metamorphism near igneous intrusions, and regional metamorphism over large areas from tectonic forces and deep burial within the crust.

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    Chapter .5 Metamorphic Rock

    Uploaded by

    HamzaBaig
    12 views5 pages
    Metamorphic rocks form through the transformation of existing rock types when subjected to heat and pressure within the Earth's crust. The original rock undergoes physical and chemical changes causing it to recrystallize. Metamorphic rocks make up a large part of the Earth's crust and show layering or foliation due to flattening of minerals during recrystallization. There are two main types of metamorphism - contact metamorphism near igneous intrusions, and regional metamorphism over large areas from tectonic forces and deep burial within the crust.

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    Chapter 3

    Original Title

    Metamorphic Rocks

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    Metamorphic rocks form through the transformation of existing rock types when subjected to heat and pressure within the Earth's crust. The original rock undergoes physical and chemical changes causing it to recrystallize. Metamorphic rocks make up a large part of the Earth's crust and show layering or foliation due to flattening of minerals during recrystallization. There are two main types of metamorphism - contact metamorphism near igneous intrusions, and regional metamorphism over large areas from tectonic forces and deep burial within the crust.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    12 views5 pages

    Chapter .5 Metamorphic Rock

    Uploaded by

    HamzaBaig
    Metamorphic rocks form through the transformation of existing rock types when subjected to heat and pressure within the Earth's crust. The original rock undergoes physical and chemical changes causing it to recrystallize. Metamorphic rocks make up a large part of the Earth's crust and show layering or foliation due to flattening of minerals during recrystallization. There are two main types of metamorphism - contact metamorphism near igneous intrusions, and regional metamorphism over large areas from tectonic forces and deep burial within the crust.

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    CHAPTER .

    5 METAMORPHIC ROCK

    Metamorphic rocks arise from the transformation of


    existing rock types, in a process called metamorphism, which
    means "change in form".
    The original rock is subjected to heat and pressure, (temperatures
    greater than 150 to 200 °C and pressures of 1500 bars) causing
    profound physical and/or chemical change. The origin rocks may
    be sedimentary rock or igneous rock or another older
    metamorphic rock.
    Metamorphic rocks make up a large part of the Earth’s crust and
    are classified by texture and by chemical and mineral assemblage
    (metamorphic facies). They may be formed simply by being deep
    beneath the Earth's surface, subjected to high temperatures and
    the great pressure of the rock layers above it. They can form
    from tectonic processes such as continental collisions, which
    cause horizontal pressure, friction and distortion. They are also
    formed when rock is heated up by the intrusion of hot molten rock
    called magma from the Earth's interior.
    The study of metamorphic rocks (now exposed at the Earth's
    surface following erosion and uplift) provides information about
    the temperatures and pressures that occur at great depths within
    the Earth's crust. Some examples of metamorphic rocks
    are gneiss, slate, marble, schist, and quartzite.
    Quartzite a form of metamorphic rock
    Foliation
    The layering within metamorphic rocks is
    called foliation (derived from the Latin word folia, meaning
    "leaves"), and it occurs when a rock is being shortened along one
    axis during re-crystallization. This causes the platy or elongated
    crystals of minerals, such as mica and chlorite, to become rotated
    such that their long axes are perpendicular to the orientation of
    shortening. These results in a banded, or foliated, rock, with the
    bands showing the colors of the minerals that formed them.

    Folded foliation in a metamorphic rock


    Rocks that were subjected to uniform pressure from all sides, or
    those that lack minerals with distinctive growth habits, will not be
    foliated. Slate is an example of a very fine-grained, foliated
    metamorphic rock, while phyllite is medium, schist coarse,
    and gneiss very coarse-grained. Marble is generally not foliated,
    which allows its use as a material for sculpture and architecture.

    Slate Phyllite

    schist gneiss

    Types of metamorphism

    1) Contact metamorphism
    is the name given to the changes that take place when magma
    is injected into the surrounding solid rock (country rock).
    The changes that occur are greatest wherever the magma
    comes into contact with the rock because the temperatures
    are highest at this boundary and decrease with distance from
    it. Around the igneous rock that forms from the cooling
    magma is a metamorphosed zone called a contact
    metamorphism aureole. Aureoles may show all degrees of
    metamorphism from the contact area to unmetamorphosed
    (unchanged) country rock some distance away. The
    formation of important ore minerals may occur by the
    process of metasomatism at or near the contact zone.
    2) Regional metamorphism
    is the name given to changes in great masses of rock over a
    wide area. Rocks can be metamorphosed simply by being at
    great depths below the Earth's surface, subjected to high
    temperatures and the great pressure caused by the immense
    weight of the rock layers above. Much of the lower
    continental crust is metamorphic, except for recent igneous
    intrusions. Horizontal tectonic movements such as the
    collision of continents create orogenic belts, and cause high
    temperatures, pressures and deformation in the rocks along
    these belts. If the metamorphosed rocks are later uplifted and
    exposed by erosion, they may occur in long belts or other
    large areas at the surface. The process of metamorphism may
    have destroyed the original features that could have revealed
    the rock's previous history.
    Marble

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