ABM

11A2

Earth and Life

Science:
By. Catherine Ysabel Veloso
WHAT IS BURIAL
METAMORPHISM?
• Burial metamorphism occurs when sediments
are buried deeply enough that the heat and
pressure cause minerals to begin to
recrystallize and new minerals to grow but
does not leave the rock with a foliated
appearance.

• The main minerals produced are often the

Zeolites. Burial metamorphism overlaps, to
some extent, with diagenesis, and grades into
regional metamorphism as temperature and
pressure increase. Burial metamorphism takes place at relatively
low temperatures (up to ~300 °C) and pressures
(100s of m depth).
WHAT IS BURIAL
METAMORPHISM?
• Burial metamorphism is here equated with
depth or load metamorphism. The term was
first used by Coombs (1961) to describe a
process of metamorphism that resulted in
large-scale recrystallization but with no strong
penetrative deformation.

• Its products occur in large areas in New

Zealand, Japan and elsewhere, and it defines
the lowest stage of metamorphism.
HOW DOES BURIAL
METAMORPHISM OCCUR?
• Burial Metamorphism occurs when sedimentary rocks that had undergone
diagenesis are buried even deeper.
• Diagenesis - is the process that describes physical and chemical changes
in sediments first caused by water-rock interactions.

• They do not change to a foliated rock because rocks undergoing burial

metamorphism encounter the uniform stress of lithostatic pressure, not
differential pressure.
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Thank
you!