Metamorphic Rocks

Earths Dynamic Systems

 Metamorphic Rocks

Most of the rocks exposed in the continental shields and in the cores of
mountain belts show evidence that their original igneous or sedimentary
textures and compositions have changed.

They have been ductilely deformed, minerals recrystallized and

developed large mineral grains, and the constituent minerals of many
have strong fabrics with planar orientations called foliation.

The result is a new rock type with a distinctive texture and fabric and, in
some cases, new mineral compositions.
 Brittle Deformation

Ductile Deformation
 MAJOR CONCEPTS
1. Metamorphic rocks can be formed from igneous, sedimentary, or
previously metamorphosed rocks by recrystallization in the solid state.
The driving forces for metamorphism are changes in temperature,
pressure, and composition of pore fluids.

2. These changes produce new minerals, new textures, and new structures
within the rock body. Careful study of metamorphic rocks reveals the
thermal and deformation history of Earth’s crust.

3. During metamorphism, new platy mineral grains grow in the direction of

least stress, producing a planar texture called foliation. Rocks with only
one mineral (such as limestone) or those that recrystallize in the
absence of deforming stresses do not develop strong foliation but
instead develop a granular texture. Mylonite develops where shearing
along a fracture forms small grains by ductile destruction of larger
grains.
 MAJOR CONCEPTS
4. The major types of foliated metamorphic rocks include slate, schist,
gneiss, and mylonite; important nonfoliated (or granular) rocks
include quartzite, marble, hornfels, greenstone, and granulite. They
are distinguished by their textures and secondarily by their
compositions.

5. Contact metamorphism is a local phenomenon associated with

thermal and chemical changes near the contacts of igneous
intrusions. Regional metamorphism is best developed in the roots of
mountain belts along convergent plate boundaries.

6. Mineral zones are produced where temperature, pressure, or fluid

compositions varied systematically across metamorphic belts or
around igneous intrusions.

7. Distinctive sequences of metamorphic rocks are produced in each of

the major plate tectonic settings.
Metamorphic rocks form by recrystallization in the
solid state because of changes in temperature,
pressure, or the composition of pore fluids. New
minerals form that are in equilibrium with the
new environment, and a new rock texture
develops in response to the growth of new
minerals.

E.g., These solid state reactions are akin to those that a potter uses to convert
soft clay into hard ceramic. When a soft clay pot is placed in a kiln at a
temperature near 1200°C, the clay minerals change into other minerals that are
stable under those conditions. In other words the clay is metamorphosed.
The typical texture of metamorphic rocks does not show a
sequence of formation of the individual minerals like that
evident in igneous rocks. All grains in metamorphic rocks
apparently recrystallize at roughly the same time, and
they have to compete for space in an already solid rock
body. As a result, the new minerals grow in the direction
of lowest stress. Most metamorphic rocks thus have a
layered, or planar, structure, resulting from
recrystallization.
Foliated Textures
• 1. Slatey • 3. Schistose
- looks like blackboard - Crude, Thin layers of mica
>dull surface minerals
- smooth, thin layering - visible grains
- breaks into flat slabs > garnets, Kyanite, staurolites
>referred to as slatey cleavage - have shiny appearance
- no mineral grains visible > due to mica minerals

• 2. Phyllitic • 4. Gneissic
- looks like waxed surface - larger grains
>has a "sheen" to it
- may look like igneous rock
- may have little "waves" on
- have banding
surface > intensely distorted
- different minerals than
>referred to as crenulations
- some small grains visible
schistose
 ORIGIN OF METAMORPHIC
ROCKS
• The driving forces for metamorphism are
changes in temperature, pressure, and
composition of the environment or
strong deformation.
• These changes cause recrystallization in
the solid state as the rock changes toward
equilibrium with the new environment.
 Temperature and Pressure Changes
As a rock’s temperature increases, its minerals may become unstable and react
with other minerals to form new mineral assemblages that are stable under
the new conditions. Below 200°C, reaction rates are low, and most minerals
will remain unchanged for millions of years.
The stable form of Al2SiO5 varies at different temperatures and pressures. Andalusite
is stable at low temperatures and changes to sillimanite during metamorphism at
higher temperatures. Higher pressure produces kyanite. At even higher temperatures,
a meta-sedimentary rock partially melts to make migmatite. The arrows show possible
pressure-temperature paths during metamorphism.
 How is heat added to cause metamorphism?
Difference between contact and regional Metamorphism

(A) Contact metamorphism occurs around

hot igneous intrusions. Changes in (B) Regional metamorphism develops deep in
temperature and composition of pore fluids the crust, usually as the result of subduction or
cause preexisting minerals to change and continental collision. Wide areas are deformed,
reach equilibrium in the new environment. subjected to higher pressures, and intruded by
Narrow zones of altered rock extending from igneous rocks. Hot fluids may also cause
a few meters to a few hundred meters from metamorphic recrystallization.
the contact are produced.
Metamorphism that takes place at low temperature and pressure is called low-grade
metamorphism; high pressure and high temperature produce high-grade metamorphism.
 Movement of Fluids
Metamorphic recrystallization is often
accompanied by some change in the chemical
composition of the rock—that is, by a loss or
gain of certain elements. This process is
metasomatism. In metamorphic processes that
involve an increase in temperature, many
minerals that contain H2O or CO2 eventually
break down, providing a separate fluid that
migrates from one place to another. The small
amount of pore fluid transports material through
the rock and allows it to rearrange into new
mineral structures.
 Movement of Fluids –
Fluid phase from magma
• Magmatic intrusions may release hot fluids that flow into the surrounding
country rock. Consequently, minerals that are stable in the new chemical
environment crystallize. Many types of metallic ore deposits are created
by metasomatism. Because of the importance of hot water in the formation
of such metasomatic rocks, the process is also known as hydrothermal
alteration
 Movement of Fluids –
Ocean ridge metamorphism
• The circulation of hot seawater through cold oceanic crust probably
produces more metasomatic rocks than all other processes combined.
Ocean ridge metamorphism converts olivine and pyroxene into hydrated
silicates, including serpentine, chlorite, and talc. As much as one-fourth of
the oceanic crust is metamorphosed in this way
 Deformation
• In many tectonic settings, there is directed
or differential stress that acts to shorten
and compress the rock, or, alternatively,
to lengthen and extend the rock.

In other words, the forces on the rock are not

equal in all directions. At high temperature or
confining pressure, a rock becomes ductile
and may be deformed slowly if such a
differential stress is applied.

Most obvious sign of differential pressure is

the distinct orientation of grains of platy
minerals such as mica and chlorite
 Basic classification of
Metamorphic Rocks
• The two major groups of metamorphic rocks—
foliated and nonfoliated— are further
subdivided based on the basis of mineral
composition.

• The major types of foliated rocks are slate,

phyllite, schist, gneiss, and mylonite.

• Important nonfoliated rocks are quartzite,

marble, hornfels, greenstone, and granulite.
Example - metamorphism of a shale
(made up initially of clay minerals and quartz)
• Shale – original sedimentary protolith
– Shales have fissility that is caused by the preferred
orientation of clay minerals orientated parallel to
bedding.
 Metamorphism of a shale
• Slate – Fine clay, low-grade
metamorphic shale.
• Low grade metamorphic T&P
(Water is expelled from
crystalline structure of clay)
– Has a distinct foliation called
slaty cleavage.
• Develops by parallel
alignment of platy clay
minerals.
• Slaty cleavage oriented
perpendicular to
compression.
 Metamorphism of a shale
• Phyllite - Fine mica-rich rock.
– Formed by low- to medium-grade alteration of slate.
– Medium-grade metamorphic T&P Causes minerals to
grow
– Clay minerals neocrystallize into tiny micas.
 Metamorphism of a shale
• Schist – Fine or coarse rock with larger micas.
– Medium- to high-grade metamorphism.
– Medium-grade metamorphic T&P Causes minerals to
grow
– Schist often has other minerals due to
neocrystallization
– Medium to coarse grained
– Strongly foliated rock
 Metamorphism of a shale
• Gneiss
– Coarse grained granular rock
– High-grade metamorphic T&P Causes minerals to
separate into bands
– Foliation: alternating bands of light & dark minerals
• Light bands of felsic minerals
• Dark bands of mafic minerals
Summary of foliation
 How is heat added to cause metamorphism?
Difference between contact and regional Metamorphism

(A) Contact metamorphism occurs around

hot igneous intrusions. Changes in (B) Regional metamorphism develops deep in
temperature and composition of pore fluids the crust, usually as the result of subduction or
cause preexisting minerals to change and continental collision. Wide areas are deformed,
reach equilibrium in the new environment. subjected to higher pressures, and intruded by
Narrow zones of altered rock extending from igneous rocks. Hot fluids may also cause
a few meters to a few hundred meters from metamorphic recrystallization.
the contact are produced.
Metamorphism that takes place at low temperature and pressure is called low-grade
metamorphism; high pressure and high temperature produce high-grade metamorphism.
 REGIONAL METAMORPHIC ZONES

• Regional metamorphism involves large-scale

changes in thick masses of rock in which major
recrystallization and structural adjustments
occurred in ancient orogenic belts.
• Regional metamorphic rocks commonly show
systematic changes from place to place—
metamorphic zones—that reflect large gradients
in temperature and confining pressure.
• These gradients are correlated with depth and
distance from ancient heat sources.
 REGIONAL METAMORPHIC ZONES

• One type of metamorphic zonation can be defined because

of the occurrence of certain index minerals—a mineral that
forms at a specific metamorphic grade.
• For the metamorphism of shale, a typical sequence of index
minerals that reveals the transition from low-grade to high-
grade metamorphism is

• chlorite, biotite, garnet, staurolite, kyanite, and

sillimanite.

• Each index mineral is stable over a narrow range of

temperature and pressure, thus characterizing a particular
grade of metamorphism.
TYPES OF METAMORPHIC ROCKS
Contact
Metamorphism
• Index minerals are not as useful for indicating
metamorphic grade if the composition of the rocks varies
across a region. For example, a limestone and a shale
metamorphosed under exactly the same conditions
would have different stable minerals.

• In this case, metamorphic zonation can be defined on

the basis of a group of associated minerals formed under
specific metamorphic conditions. The distinctive group of
minerals, known as a metamorphic facies, is named
after a characteristic rock or mineral type.
Metamorphic Facies
Used for regional metamorphism
Metamorphic Facies and Plate tectonic settings