North Wales Independent Mapping Project

Hannah Sweetman

5.0 Metamorphism:
The rocks found within the Snowdon region and in the mapping area have been
subject to varying grades of metamorphism. The rocks found within the region have
recrystallized due to the changes in the physical conditions, primarily from changes
in heat and pressure. During this period the rocks were subject to changes in their
mineralogical and crystallographic properties.
Bevins and Rowbotham (1983) have suggested that the pre-Arenig strata in the
region have been subjected to low-grade metamorphism from late Tremadoc tectonic
movements. Furthermore all of the Ordovician rocks in the mapping area have been
subject to low-grade regional metamorphism. Settings needed to produce extensive
regionally metamorphosed rocks are the collision of two tectonic plates in an
orogenic event. The Caledonian orogeny occurred between 490-390Ma in the
Ordovician to the early Devonian and was the orogenic event that caused the
widespread regional metamorphism in North Wales. This orogenic event was caused
by the closure of the Iapetus Ocean when the continental plates of Laurentia,
Avalonia and Baltica collided.
This low-grade metamorphism in the area has had several effects on the rocks in the
mapping area. The finer grained sandstones and siltstone display strong cleavage
readings with dip readings recorded from 50 to 90. These cleavage trends follow
the NW-SE syncline that the sedimentary bedding readings in the mapping area also
follow, suggesting that metamorphism occurred after the area was folded. These
metamorphosed beds in the area have been subject to long periods of a moderate
heat and become extremely fissile such as at locality 032 [265023, 348580] as seen in

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Hannah Sweetman

figure 5.1. The tectonic strain in the region was strong enough to allow a new slaty
foliation to form. The fissile siltstones produced the slates that were mined
extensively in the area for cladding of buildings and for other decorative purposes.

Steeply dipping
cleavage

Figure 5.1 An annotated photograph of a spoil heap comprised of siltstone flags that have been mined
out. The small exposures of siltstone by the spoil heap display strong cleavage.

In some of the siltstone units in the northern zone of the mapping area randomly
orientated crystals of chloritoid have been recorded

of a diagenetic to epizone

grade. (Brearley, 1988 and Smith, 1988). The relationship that the chloritoid crystals
have with the fabric of the siltstones suggests that the crystal formation was during
the cleavage development. Roberts and Merriman (1985) have suggested that the

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records of metamorphic mineral associations collected from the Snowdon region

suggests that the highest temperatures attained during metamorphism were in the
range of 330-380.
Contact metamorphism occurs when intrusive igneous rocks result in an increase in
temperatures around the cooler country rocks and so change the chemical and
physical properties of the country rock. In the mapping area there are several dolerite
sills that have intruded into the surround sedimentary country rock. These
metamorphic aureoles display a very thin baked margin. These baked margins have
smaller grain sizes and are much harder than the unmetamorphosed sediments. The
metamorphic affects from the intrusion are greatest when next to the igneous body
and the effects decrease with distance from the intrusion. The thickness of the
aureole depends upon the size and heat of the intrusion and the temperature of the
surrounding country rock that cools it down. In the mapping area the sills are only a
few 10s meters across and the baked margins are not very thick.
Another effect contact metamorphism has on the intrusion are chilled margins within
the intrusions. The dolerite sills in the mapping area show excellent examples of
chilled margins that have formed from the rapid crystallisation of the intrusions
when it comes in contact with the cool country rock. The intrusions demonstrate
much finer crystal grain sizes on the outer edges of the sills to much coarser crystals
deeper within the sill bodies which is perfectly demonstrated at locality 001 [263834,
348978] as seen in figure 5.2.

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Figure 5.2. A sketch showing an

example of the chilled margins in the
dolerite

exposure

[263834, 348978].

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at

locality

001