Metamorphism

The word "Metamorphism" comes from the

Greek: Meta t= change, Morph = form, so
metamorphism means to change form. In
geology this refers to the changes in mineral
assemblage and texture that result from
subjecting a rock to pressures and temperatures
different from those under which the rock
originally formed.

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Metamorphism

Metamorphic rock • Rocks that have been

subjected to either enough heat or pressure to
cause the minerals in that rock to undergo solid
state chemical changes.
• Metamorphic rocks never melt - if they did they
would become igneous magma. This is why we
say that the changes are solid stat

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 Metamorphism
As rocks are subjected to great heat and pressure they
begin to undergo several changes:
 Changes in the minerals.
 Folding and bending of rocks causing change in its
shape.

CHANGES OCCURS DURING METAMORPHISM

 Recrystallization causes changes in minerals size and
shape.
 Chemical reactions occur between the minerals to
form new sets of minerals that are more stable at the
pressure and temperature of the environment, and new
minerals form as a result of polymorphic phase
transformations,

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AGENTS AND FACTORS THAT
CONTROL METAMORPHISM

 Heat
 Pressure
 Chemical activity Fluid phase

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 Video

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 HEAT

 Heat is the most important agent of metamorphism.

 Normally a geothermal gradient increases in temperature
with depth at about 30°C per kilometer.
 The gradient is much higher in some areas, for example
at the edges of continents where one oceanic plate dives
under another or where plutons have become embedded in
the crust.
 The first minerals that begin to change are clays, then
others that are more stable begin to change as the
temperature increases.
 It usually takes burial to 20KM or more for feldspars to
begin to metamorphose.

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 PRESSURE
 Pressure increases with depth so that there is 1,000kg/cm2 at 4
km depth.
  Increased pressure may cause minerals to melt or may cause
atoms to move into configurations that represent tighter
packing.
  Types of pressure Confining Pressure Differential Pressure
Shear Stress Pressure Confining Pressure (lithostatic) Equal
pressure in all directions tends to cause objects to uniformly
become smaller. Differential stress If the stress is not equal
from all directions, then the stress is called a differential stress.
Shear stress causes objects to be smeared out in the direction of
applied stress.

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 TIME

Because metamorphism involves changing the rock

while it is solid, metamorphic change is a slow
process.During metamorphism, several processes
are at work.
Laboratory experiments suggest that the the sizes
of the mineral grains produced during
metamorphism increases with time.
Thus coarse grained metamorphic rocks involve
long times of metamorphism. Experiments suggest
that the time involved is tens of millions of years.

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 FLUID PHASE

Any existing open space between mineral grains in a

rock can potentially contain a fluid. • This fluid is
mostly H2O, but contains dissolved ions.
• The fluid phase is important because chemical
reactions that involve changing a solid mineral into a
new solid mineral can be greatly speeded up by
having dissolved ions transported by the fluid.
• If chemical alteration of the rock takes place as a
result of these fluids, the process is called
metasomatism.
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TYPES OF METAMORPHISM

CONTACT METAMORPHISM
REGIONAL METAMORPHISM
DYNAMIC METAMORPHISM
BURIAL METAMORPHISM SHOCK
METAMORPHISM
FAULT ZONE METAMORPHISM
HYDROTHERMAL METAMORPHISM
SUBDUCTION RELATED
METAMORPHISM
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 Contact metamorphism
If rock is in contact or close to magma then the heat
bakes the nearby rock just around the magma. (also
called thermal metamorphism)
 Occurs adjacent to igneous intrusions and results
from high temperatures associated with the igneous
intrusion.

 Contact metamorphism is usually referred to as

high temperature, low pressure metamorphism.
Contact Metamorphism

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Contact metamorphism

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 Regional metamorphism

Large scale metamorphism that occurs during

mountain building.
 This type of metamorphism occurs over large
areas that were subjected to high degrees of
deformation under differential stress.
 The differential stress usually results from
tectonic forces that produce a compression of the
rocks.
 Usually results in forming metamorphic rocks
that are strongly foliated, such as slates, schists,
and gneisses.

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Regional metamorphism

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 Dynamic metamorphism
 This type of metamorphism is due to
mechanical deformation, like when two bodies of
rock slide past one another along a fault zone.
 Heat is generated by the friction of sliding along
the zone, and the rocks tend to crushed and
pulverized due to the sliding.
 Dynamic metamorphism is not very common
and is restricted to a narrow zone along which the
sliding occurred.
 The rock that is produced is called a mylonite.

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Dynamic metamorphism

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BURIAL METAMORPHISM

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 HYDROTHERMAL METAMORPHISM
Near oceanic ridges where the oceanic crust is broken
up by extensional faults, sea water can descend along
the cracks.
 The hydrothermal fluids alter the basaltic oceanic crust
by producing hydrous minerals like chlorite and talc.
 Because chlorite is a green colored mineral the rocks
hydrothermal metamorphic rocks are also green and
often called greenstones. Hydrothermal metamorphism

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 Types of metamorphic rock
There are two major subdivisions of metamorphic rocks.
1.Foliated – These have a planar foliation caused by the preferred
orientation (alignment) of minerals and formed under differential
stress. They have a significant amount of sheet silicate (platy
minerals and are classified by composition, grain size, and
foliation type.
2. Non-foliated – These have no evident planar fabric or foliation,
crystallized under conditions where there was no differential
stress, and are comprised of equant minerals only. These are
classified mainly by the minerals present or the chemical
composition of the protolith. Phylllite Slate Marble Quartzite

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 GRADE OF METAMORPHISM
Metamorphic grade is a general term for describing the relative
temperature and pressure conditions under which
metamorphic rocks form.
 Low-grade metamorphism It takes place at temperatures
between about 200 to 320oC, and relatively low pressure.Low
grade metamorphic rocks are characterized by an abundance
of hydrous minerals. Example: Clay Minerals
 High-grade metamorphism It takes place at temperatures
greater than 320oC and relatively high pressure.As grade of
metamorphism increases, hydrous minerals become less
hydrous, by losing H2O and non-hydrous minerals become
more common.

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 Metamorphic textures
 • Texture refers to the size, shape, and
arrangement of grains within a rock
 • Foliation – any planar arrangement of mineral
grains or structural features within a rock • Parallel
alignment of platy and/or elongated minerals
 • Foliation can form through: – Rotation of platy
and/or elongated minerals – Recrystallization of
minerals in the direction of preferred orientation –
Changing the shape of equidimensional grains into
elongated shapes that are aligned

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 Foliation

Parallel alignment of flattened mineral

grains and pebbles
Compositional banding

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 Foliated textures

 Rock or slaty cleavage : Closely spaced

planar surfaces along which rocks split

• Schistosity : Platy minerals are discernible

with the unaided eye and exhibit a planar or
layered structure • Rocks having this texture
are referred to as schist

• Gneissic texture : Segregation of minerals

leads to distinctive banded appearance

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Gneissose texture
Gneiss is a high grade metamorphic rock, meaning that it
has been subjected to higher temperatures and pressures
than schist. It is formed by the metamorphosis of granite, or
sedimentary rock. Gneiss displays distinct foliation,
representing alternating layers composed of different
minerals.

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Foliated and non foliated texture

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Porphyroclasts of felspar, having the shape
of an eye in cross section, in a finer- grained
gneissic matrix. Eg. Augen gneisses

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Porphyroblast:- Large crystal mineral like garnet or
andalusite grown in a metamorphic rock which is
sorrounded by smaller grain of other minerals, similar
to a phenocryst of an igneous rock.

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