Metamorphic Rocks

Definitions
Metamorphic Rock
- "Meta"= Change (Grk)
- "Morph"= form
form (Grk)

-- a rock thathas been changed

from its original form ( parent ) by
heat , pressure , and fluid activity
into a new rock ( daughter ).
 Heat

Sources
Sources Include.....
Include.....

Magma
Magma
-- temperature
temperature of
of magma
magma
-- composition
composition of
of magma
magma
Geothermal gradient
Geothermal gradient
-- temperature
temperature increases
increases with
with depth
depth of
of burial
burial
-- core
core of
of Earth
Earth is
is warmer
warmer than
than outer
outer crust
crust
 Uniform Pressure
Uniform vs Directed Pressure
Pressure
Lithostatic
Lithostatic
-- "Lithos"=
"Lithos"= rock,
rock, static=
static= unchanged
unchanged (pressure)
(pressure)
-- uniform
uniform (aka
(aka non-directed)
non-directed)
-- equal
equal intensity
intensity from
from all
all directions
directions by
by rocks
rocks
Directed Pressure
one direction of squeezing is much stronger
than the others
Minerals align themselves to reduce stress.
 Types of Metamorphism

Contact
Contact
-- caused
caused by
by igneous
igneous activity
activity

Dynamic
Dynamic
-- aka
aka cataclastic
cataclastic
-- associated
associated with
with faults
faults &
& earthquake
earthquake zones
zones

Regional
Regional
-- caused
caused by
by tremendous
tremendous pressures
pressures
associated with
associated with tectonic
tectonic plate
plate activity
activity
Contact Metamorphism

Igneous Intrusions
Igneous Intrusions
-- size
size and
and type
type of
of magma
magma important
important
>>mafic
mafic magma
magma hotter
hotter than
than felsic
felsic
-- heat
heat decreases
decreases away
away from
from magma
magma
>>forms
forms aa zone
zone of
of altered
altered country
country rocks
rocks called
called Aureoles
Aureoles

Sometimes creates a metamorphic rock called a

hornfels -in essence a cooked rock
Dynamic Metamorphism
aka Cataclastic
aka Cataclastic Metamorphism
Metamorphism
associated with
associated with Fault
Fault Zones
Zones
-- Places
Places where
where the
the Earth's
Earth's crust
crust ruptured
ruptured
-- Rock
Rock pulverized
pulverized
>> heat
heat and
and pressure
pressure come
come from
from movement
movement along
along the
the
Fault
Fault
resultant rock
resultant rock is
is known
known as Mylonite
as aa Mylonite
 Regional Metamorphism
Most common
Most common form
form of
of metamorphism
metamorphism

caused by
caused by large
large scale
scale forces
forces
-- lithospheric
lithospheric plate
plate collision
collision

covers very
covers very large
large areas
areas
-- metamorphic
metamorphic belts
belts or
or zones
zones
-- Zones
Zones are
are characterized
characterized by
by Index Minerals
Index Minerals
>>form
form under
under specific
specific temperatures
temperatures and
and pressures
pressures
>>metamorphic
metamorphic facies
facies

commonly associated
commonly associated with
with
-- shields:
Shields andstable areas areas
Mountains: of crystalline rocks rocks
of crystalline
Shields of the World
 Metamorphic Textures
Foliated
Foliated
-- Folios
Folios == page
page or
or leaf-like
leaf-like
-- rock
rock has
has distinct
distinct banding
banding or
or layering
layering
>>often
often not
not smooth
smooth like
like in
in sedimentary
sedimentary rocks
rocks
-- formed
formed under
under directed
directed pressure
pressure

Non-foliated
Non-foliated
-- no
no distinct
distinct layering
layering character
character
-- often
often aa massive
massive crystalline
crystalline texture
texture
-- formed
formed under
under uniform
uniform pressures
pressures
Foliated Texture
 Foliated Textures
Slatey
Slatey Schistose
Schistose
-- looks
looks like
like blackboard
blackboard -- distinct bands of minerals
>>dull
-- visible
dull surface
surface
visible grains
mineral grains
-- smooth,
smooth, thin
thin layering
layering >>garnets,
garnets, staurolites
staurolites
-- breaks
breaks into
into flat
flat slabs
slabs -- may
may have
have shiny
shiny
>>referred
referred to
to as
as slatey
slatey cleavage
cleavage
appearance
-- no
no mineral
mineral grains
grains visible
visible >>due
due to
to mica
mica minerals
minerals

Phyllitic
Phyllitic Gneissic
Gneissic
-- looks
looks like
like waxed
waxed surface
surface -- larger
larger grains
grains
>>has
has aa "sheen"
"sheen" to
to itit
-- may
may look
look like
like igneous
igneous rock
rock
-- may
may have
have little
little "waves"
"waves" on
on
-- may
may have
have crude
crude banding
banding
surface
surface >>intensely
intensely distorted
distorted
>>referred
-- different
referred to
to as
as crenulations
crenulations
different minerals
minerals than
than
-- some
some small
small grains
grains visible
visible
schistose
schistose
 Foliated MM Rocks

slate phyllite

schist gneiss
MM
MM Rocks
Rocks that
that could
could form
form as
as aa shale
shale (sedimentary)
(sedimentary) parent
parent rock
rock is
is
exposed to increasing directed pressure and temperature
 Non-foliated Rocks

Marble:
- metamorphosed
limestone

Quartzite:
Quartzite:
-- metamorphosed
metamorphosed
quartz sandstone
quartz sandstone
Environment of Formation- EOF
look for specific minerals
Map out where those minerals are found
reconstruct T & P for given minerals
Find a modern setting that has similar T & P
using Uniformitarianism
Metamorphic Zones
Metamorphic Zones-Map
Metamorphic Zones-Map
Metamorphic Facies
distinctive metamorphic
distinctive metamorphic lithologies
lithologies that
that occur
occur in
in well
well
defined areas
defined areas and
and named
named after
after the
the key
key rocks
rocks found
found
 Metamorphic Zones
Metamorphism is common along most plate boundaries like this.