Paragon Place, 17 Commonwealth Ave, Quezon City, 1126 Metro Manila

Tel. No.: 253-0452

STUDENT’S EDUCATIONAL PACKET

EARTH AND LIFE SCIENCE
GRADE 11

1st Quarter - Week Two

EARTH MATERIALS AND PROCESSES:
Endogenic Processes
OBJECTIVES: At the end of the lesson, the learners will be able to:
1. Understand the different index minerals used for metamorphic rocks.
2. Understand what causes the metamorphic texture.
3. Describe the changes in mineral components and texture of rocks due to changes in
pressure and temperature

INTRODUCTION: Trackback
Magma can rise when pieces of Earth's crust called tectonic plates slowly move away from
each other. ... Magma also rises when these tectonic plates move toward each other. When this
happens, part of Earth's crust can be forced deep into its interior. The high heat and pressure
cause the crust to melt and rise as magma.
Bowen's reaction series is a means of ranking common igneous silicate minerals by the
temperature at which they crystallize. Minerals at the top have a relatively high crystallization
temperature, which means that they will be the first minerals to crystallize from a magma that is
cooling.

Magmatic differentiation is the process of creating one or more secondary magmas from
single parent magma
a. Crystal Fractionation –a chemical process by which the composition of a liquid, such as
magma, changes due to crystallization. Common mechanism for crystal fractionation is crystal

Earth and Life Science 1

settling. This means that denser minerals crystallize first and settle down while the lighter
minerals crystallize at the latter stages.
b. Partial Melting - as described in Bowen’s reaction series, quartz and muscovite are
basically the most stable minerals at the Earth’s surface, making them the first ones to melt from
the parent rock once exposed in higher temperature and/or pressure. Partial melting of an ultra-
mafic rock in the mantle produces a basaltic magma.
c. Magma mixing – this may occur when two different magma rises up, with the more
buoyant mass overtakes the more slowly rising body. Convective flow then mixes the two
magmas, generating a single, intermediate (between the two parent magmas) magma.

Motivation:
What is the definition of metamorphic rocks from previous lesson?
What causes the metamorphism of rocks?
What sort of physical and chemical changes in rocks occur during metamorphism?

DISCUSSION:
Index Minerals for Metamorphic Rocks
a. Minerals become unstable and change into another mineral without necessarily a
compositional change in response to heat, pressure, and chemically active fluids. Examples
include diamond and coal wherein only the mineral structure is affected.
b. The mineral composition of the resulting metamorphic rock is influence by: the mineral
composition of the original rock, the composition of fluid phase that was present and the
attained pressure and temperature during metamorphism.
c. Certain minerals identified as index minerals are good indicators of the metamorphic
environment or zone of regional metamorphism in which these minerals are formed.
The typical transition of mineral content resulting from the metamorphism of shale
a. Fine grained sedimentary rocks (e.g. shale or mudstone) can transform into different
metamorphic rocks depending on the degree of metamorphism. At relatively low grade of
metamorphism (low temperature and pressure conditions), shale can metamorphose into slate.
At a still higher degree of metamorphism, slate can transform into phyllite. (A definite sequence
of metamorphic rocks can form with increasing degree of metamorphism). The resulting
metamorphic rock type is composed of minerals that are stable at the attained temperature,
pressure, and chemical condition of metamorphism.
b. Some rocks, however, such as pure quartz sandstone or pure limestone, provide no
clue as to the intensity of metamorphism.
Textural Changes in Rocks that are subjected to Metamorphism.
a. In general, the grain size of metamorphic rocks tends to increase with the increasing
metamorphic grade. With the increasing metamorphic grade, the sheet silicates become
unstable and mafic minerals like hornblende and pyroxene start to grow. At the highest grades
of metamorphism all of the hydrous minerals and sheet silicates become unstable and thus
there are few minerals present that would show a preferred orientation.
b. Most metamorphic textures involve foliation which is caused by differential stress.
Sheet silicates such as clay minerals, mica and chlorite tend to have a preferred orientation
when subjected to differential stress. Slate, phyllite, schist and gneiss are foliated rocks,
texturally distinguished from each other by the degree of foliation.
c. Differential stress is formed when the pressure applied to a rock at depth is not equal
in all directions. Effects of differential stress in the rock’s texture if present during metamorphism
include

Earth and Life Science 2

 i. Rounded grains can become flattened in the direction of the maximum
compressional stress.
ii. Minerals that crystallize or grow in the differential stress field may develop a
preferred orientation. Sheet silicates and minerals that have an elongated habit will grow
with their sheets or direction of elongation orientated perpendicular to the direction of
maximum stress.
d. Non-foliated metamorphic rock is formed when heat is the main agent of
metamorphism. Generally, non-foliated rocks are composed of a mosaic of roughly equi-
dimensional and equi-dimensional minerals.
i. Non-foliated metamorphic rocks are generally of two types: those made up of
mainly one mineral like quartzite (from medium- to high-grade metamorphism of quartz-
rich sandstone) and marble (from low- to high-grade metamorphism of limestone or
dolostone), and those in which the different mineral grains are too small for the naked
eye, such as hornfels (hornfels if the grain size is small and granulite if the grain size is
large such that individual minerals are easily identified with a hand lens).#
e. Demonstration: The activity simulates the formation of slate by the effect of pressure
on mudstone or shale
i. Instructions: Pour some used matchsticks, or short pieces of spaghetti onto the
bench, so that they lie in all directions. These represent the microscopic, flaky clay
minerals in mudstone or shale. Take two rulers and place one on either side of the
matchsticks and push the rulers together, trapping the matchsticks and forcing them to
line up parallel to the moving rulers.
ii. Discussion: This simulates the formation of slate, where the tiny, flaky clay
minerals in a mudstone or shale are made to line up at right angles to the lateral forces.
The slate will split along the planes made by the new minerals more easily than
along the original bedding. This property is called rock cleavage (see figure below). You
can use the matchsticks / spaghetti to show how such rocks can split along the cleavage
by using a ruler to separate the aligned ‘minerals. Simply slide a ruler between the
aligned pieces of spaghetti and move them apart. A piece of slate, cut thinly, under the
microscope showing the cleavage running from top left to bottom right formed by the
aligned minerals
Under conditions of ever-increasing temperatures and pressures, such slates can
be metamorphosed into higher-grade metamorphic rock such as schists and ultimately
gneisses.
LET’S PRACTICE
1. Simulation of the distortion of fossils under pressure (direct copy from Activity 3
http://www.rsc.org/ education/teachers/resources/jesei/meta/students.htm)
2. Many metamorphic rocks, such as slate, are formed deep below ground, under great
pressure. They sometimes contain fossils which have been badly squashed. The result of the
squashing gives clues about the directions of the pressures which squeezed the rocks.
3. Safety: Wear eye protection when doing the activity. It is the responsibility of the teacher to
carry out an appropriate risk assessment.
4. Note: The concept of this activity is also applicable to minerals that are subjected to pressure
(metamorphism).
a. Materials
Modelling clay
Disposable plastic cup (eg vending machine coffee cup)
Stirring rod

Earth and Life Science 3

 A sea shell (eg cockle)
A little plaster of Paris (calcium sulfate-½-water)
b. Instructions:
i. Soften the modelling clay.
ii. Make a mould by pressing the outside of a shell carefully into the clay. Make a
rim around the mould to contain the plaster.
iii. Carefully remove the shell, to leave the imprint in the clay.
iv. Squeeze the mould so as to change the shape of the shell imprint, by first
choosing whether to squeeze it from top to bottom or from side to side. Alternatively, you
could push one side up and the opposite side down. This sort of twisting is called
shearing.Whichever you choose, do not distort the shape too much. Note down how you
squeezed the mould, it will be important later.
v. Mix up some plaster of Paris in a disposable plastic cup. Place less than 1
cm of water in the cup and stir in enough plaster to make a runny cream.
vi. Pour the plaster into the distorted mould and leave it for a few minutes to set.
vii. Leave any remaining plaster to set in the cup. Wash the stirring rod.
viii. When your plaster fossils have set, take your fossil cast out of the modelling
clay and then carefully scratch your initials on the base.
ix. Pass your fossil on to a nearby group. See if they can work out the directions
of the pressures which you used to distort the fossil.
x. Do the same for theirs. Did you get it right?
c. How could the same distortion have been produced by forces acting in
different directions?
1. The fossils (called trilobites) have been distorted compared
with fossil A by moderate pressures which have changed the
rock in which they were found from a mudstone to a slate.
2. What might have happened to the fossils if the pressures had
been much greater?
a. In what direction were the forces that squeezed fossil
B?
b. Estimate by what proportion of its original length it
has been squeezed.
c. In what direction were the forces that squeezed fossil
C?
d. Estimate by what proportion of its original length it has been squeezed.
e. What do your answers suggest about how much the rock in the region in which the
fossils were found has been squeezed?
f. How might this scale of deformation have been caused?

EVALUATION
Summary questions related to the lessons:
1. True or false. Chlorite is commonly found in high grade metamorphic rocks

Earth and Life Science 4

 _________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
2. Other than the attained temperature and pressure during metamorphism, what are the other
two factors that control the mineral composition of a metamorphic rock?
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
3. Define metamorphism. Answer: Metamorphism is the recrystallization of minerals in rocks
due to a change in pressure and temperature conditions.
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
4. Define metamorphic grade.
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
5. Define foliation.
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
6. Define the role of stress in the formation of foliation?
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
7. True or false: There is a direct correlation between the grain size of metamorphic rocks and
the metamorphic grade.
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
8. Is it possible to find fossils in metamorphic rocks?
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
SYNTHESISDirection: Find the meaning of the following words.
1. Grained
2. Index
3. Shale
4. Silicates
5. Crystallize

ASSIGNMENT
Explain the relationship of metamorphism and plate tectonics (i.e. expected metamorphic grade
in a specific tectonic setting).
REFERENCE
(1) Tarbuck, E.J. et al, Essentials of Geology, 11th ed., pp192-193.
(2) Monroe, J. S., et al, Physical Geology Exploring the Earth, 6th ed., 2007, pp 243-249.
(3) http://www.tulane.edu/~sanelson/eens212/metaminerals.htm (Accessed: 15 Feb 2016).
(4) http://www.tulane.edu/~sanelson/eens212/typesmetamorph.htm (Accessed: 19Feb 2016).
(5) http://www.tulane.edu/~sanelson/eens212/metatexture.htm (Accessed 19 Feb 2016).
(6) http://www.rsc.org/education/teachers/resources/jesei/meta/ students.htm (Accessed 21 Feb
2016).
(7) http://www.rsc.org/education/teachers/resources/jesei/meta/ index.htm (Accessed 21 Feb
2016).

Earth and Life Science 5