Metamorphic Rocks

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

a
-- rock that has been changed
from its original form (parent) by
heat , pressure, and fluid activity
into a new rock d ( aughter).
 Heat

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

Magma
••Magma
--temperature
temperature of
of magma
magma
--composition
composition of
of magma
magma
Geothermal
Geothermal
•
• gradient
gradient
--
temperature
temperature increases with
increases with depth
depth of
of burial
burial
-
-core
core of Earth
of Earth is
is warmer
warmer than
than outer
outer crust
crust
Uniform Pressure
Uniform vs Directed Pressure
Pressure
Lithostatic
••Lithostatic
--
"Lithos"=
"Lithos"= rock, static=
rock, 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 by
-caused by igneous
igneous activity
activity

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

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

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

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

caused
caused
•
• by large
by 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 are
-Zones are characterized
characterized by
by
IIndex
ndex Minerals
Minerals
>
form under
>
form under specific
specific temperatures
temperatures and
and pressures
pressures
>metamorphic
>metamorphic facies
facies

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

Non-foliated
••Non-foliated
-no distinct
-no distinct layering
layering character
character
--
often
often aa massive
massive crystalline
crystalline texture
texture
-formed under
-formed under uniform
uniform pressures
pressures
Foliated Texture
Foliated Textures
Slatey
••Slatey Schistose
••Schistose
--looks
looks like
like blackboard
blackboard --distinct bands of minerals
>dull
> dull surface
surface
--visible grains
mineral grains
--smooth,
smooth, thin
thin layering
layering >
>garnets, staurolites
garnets, staurolites
--breaks
breaks into
into flat
flat slabs
slabs --may
may have
have shiny
shiny
>
>referred to
referred 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" toto it
it
--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
> referred to
to as
ascrenulations
crenulations
--different
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 a
a 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
distinctive
•• metamorphic lithologies
metamorphic lithologies that
that occur
occur in
in w
w
defined areas
defined areas and
and named
named after
after the
the key
key rocks
rocks foun
foun
 Metamorphic Zones
• Metamorphism is common along most plate boundaries like this.