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Metamorphic Rocks ‫كتاب‬

Contents:
CHAPTER 1: Definition And Types Of Metamorphism.

CHAPTER 2: Metamorphic grades And Depth zones and metamorphism .

CHAPTER 3 : Classification of metamorphic rocks.

CHAPTER 4: Types of Metamorphic Reactions.

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CHAPTER 5: Metamorphic Rock Textures.

CHAPTER 6: Metamorphic Facies .

CHAPTER 7: Common Types of metamorphic rocks.

CHAPTER 8: Minerals in Metamorphic rocks.

CHAPTER 9: Metamorphism of Pelitic Sediments.

CHAPTER 10: Metamorphism of Calcareous rocks.

CHAPTER 11: Metamorphism of Sandstone.

CHAPTER 12: Metamorphism of Spilitic basalt .

CHAPTER 13: Metamorphism and Tectonics.

REFERENCES .

INTRODUCTION:
Metamorphism - what is It ?

Metamorphism means to change form. In the geologist's sense it refers to changes in rocks
(protoliths) in the solid state (i.e. not by melting the rock wholesale). One can view
metamorphism as similar to cooking. Ingredients are mixed and placed at a different temperature
(and/or pressure) and changes occur.

Change occurs in order to maintain equilibrium conditions with new states of heat, pressure, or
fluids. Thus, major changes in any of these three environmental variables can result in
metamorphism. Because of the great conveyor belt of plate tectonics, rocks can encounter a
variety of environmental conditions riding around in pressure, temperature, fluid space. As they
go, they may metamorphose and may have a tale to tell of where they've been.

Metamorphic rocks are derived from materials of igneous, sedimentary or metamorphic rocks by
changing their physical form and /or mineralogical composition as a result of changes in pressure
and /or temperature or by the effect of a fluid phase. Metamorphism occurs in the solid state and
is bounded by sedimentary diagenesis and igneous melting. Metamorphic changes are always in
a direction which tends to restore equilibrium. The effects of metasmorphism include:
1- Chemical recombination and growth of new minerals with or without the addition of new
elements from circulating fluids.
2 - Deformation and rotation of the constituent mineral grains .
3-Recrystallization of minerals into larger grains.

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Factors of Metamorphism:
1- Temperature (T)
2-Pressure (P)
3- Fluids .
Grades of Metamorphism:
Winkler (1967) divided the entire P,T ranges of metamorphic conditions into four large large
divisions of metamorphic grade. The boundaries between the four grades is marked by
significant changes of mineral assemblages (specific mineral reactions):
1- Verly low-grade: diagnostic minerals are laumonite, prhenite, pumpellite, lawsonite, illite with
imperfect crystallinity.
2- Low-grade: characteristic mineral assemblage is : chlorite+zoisite/clinozoisite, actinolite,
quartz, chloritoid.
3- Medium-grade: appearance of cordierite, or staurolite
4- Hig grade:: breakdown of muscovite in the presence of quartz and plagioclase, formation of
migmatites.

Preesure divisions:
1-Very-low grade: laumontite ----lawsonite----glaucophane---jadiete+quartz
2-Low-grade: almandine---glaucophane+clinozoisite
3-Medium-grade: cordierite----almandine + (Al2SiO5-polymorph)
4- High-grade:cordierite----cordierite-almandine----almandine

Metamorphic Zones (Barrows Zones)

change in bulk composition of the rock (Metasomatism).
In most regions of metamorphic rocks, a variation of grain size and mineralogy occurs which
suggests a variation in metamorphic grade. The grain size of the rocks tends to become coarser
with increasing temperature. Barrow ( 1912 ) was the first to recognize that certain newly formed
minerals appear in a definite sequence with increasing temperature. These minerals were
designated as index minerals. The metamorphic zones characterized by these index minerals are
well developed on a regional scale in most continents.. The following succession of index
minerals with increasing temperature can be distinguished in many terrains:
1-Chlorite zone: chlorite-muscovite phyllite or schist
2-Biotite zone: appearance of biotite (biotite isograde)
3-Almandine (garnet) zone: appearance of garnet.
4- Staurolite zone: appearance of staurolite
5-Kyanite zone: appearance of kyanite
6-Sillimanite zone: appearance of sillimanite and disappearance of kyanite.
An isograde is a line of outcrops on which a mineral assemblage begins to appear or disappear.
Isogrades give a general picture of the P-T distribution in a metamorphic terrane.
Mineral assemblage (paragensis) : A number of different minerals in contact within a single thin
section.
Classification of Metamorphic Rocks :
This Chapter is discussed in details by :
A- Textural Classification:
Two major groups of metamorphic rocks are recognized:
1- Those which are foliated (posses a definit planar structure)

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2- Those which are not foliated but are massive and structureless.
The foliated rocks may be further subdivided according to the type of foliation. A large varity of
types may be subsequently be recognized in each group according to the dominant minerals.
B- Chemical and Mineralogical Classification
1-Pelitic: Derivitives of pelitic (aluminous ) sediments. Abundance of micas is characteristic.
2- Quartzfeldspathic: The principal minerals are quartz and feldspar (e.g., metamorphosed
sandstones, siliceous tuffs, granites)
3- Calcareous: Derivatives of limestones , marls and dolomites.. Typicall calcite is abundant.
Also characteristic are calcium and magnesium silicate such as diopside, tremolite, wollastonite
and grossularite.
4- Basic : Derivative of basic igneous rocks (basalt, gabbro… et c.). Characteristic minerals are
plagioclase, hornblende, Mg-chlorite, epidote.
5- Ultra-basic: Deriviativ e of peridotites. Abundance of Mg-minerals (antigorite, talc,
anthophyllite, magneiste, brucite, Mg-chlorites) and absence of feldspar are characteristic.
6-Ferrugineous and manganiferous: Derviatives of cherts and other sediments containing
abundant iron and /or manganese. Quartz is abundant, but feldspar is absent in typical
metacherts. Magnetite, hmeatite, spessartite-almandite garnet, ferrohypersthene, stilpnomelane,
Mn-epidotes and pyroxenoids are found in various combination.

Categories of Metamorphism
Metamorphic rocks are divided on the basis of their field occurrence into the following
categories:
1- Contact (Thermal) Metamorphism:
It is the recrystallization of rocks near the contacts of igneous intrusions due to rise in
temperature. The area surrounding an intusive body is called contact aurole.
2 - Regional (Orogenic ) Metamorphism :
This type outcrops over large areas and in a variety of settings. Rocks subjected to regional
metamorphism occur in a great belt, hundreds or thousands of kilometers long and wide.
Metamorphism produced as a result of the progressive increase in temperature and pressure, i.e.
by burial of a rock within the earth, is termed prograde metamorphism and in general terms is
characterized by dehydration reactions, which release water. With increasing depth of burial the
pressure and temperature of the material increases along the follwong gradients:
P gradient 3.5 kbar/10 km •T gradient 20-30°C/km
3 - Pyrometamorphism:
It is recrystallization at high temperatures and takes place in felsic, mafic and ultramfic xenoliths
included in volcanic rokcs. It is an extraordinary kinds of thermal metamorphism. It may produce
partila melting. Buchite is a partially melted rock derived from shael or sandstone.
4-Ocean-Floor Metamorphism:
It is the recrystallzation of of deeper part of the basic and ultrabasic rocks of the oceanic crust,
mainly beneath the crest of the mid-ocean ridges.
5-Hydrothermal Metamoprhism
It is the recrystallization of rokcs under the influence of a hot fluid phase introduced from the
outside, mainly in geothermal fields.
6-Cataclastic (dynamic, dislocation) Metamorphism
It is the crushing and grinding of rocks as a result of fault movement

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7 - Impact Metamorphism :
This type occurs near the impact size of large meteorites.

Textures and structures of metamorphic rocks :

The orientation and arrangement of minerals in metamorphic rocks differ in different rocks,
though the regional metamorphic rocks have textural similarities, as do the contact metamoprhic
rocks. At the same time, a single rock may contain several textures or textural elements. The
most important textures are as follows:
Foliation
(Give your remarks on each texture in lab. How it looks like?) It is a planar element in
metamoprhic rocks. It is defined as the parallel arrangement or distribution of minerals which
ncludes layring of different mineralogical composition as in a gneiss and parallel arrangement of
platy minerals (schistosity) as in a schist, closed spaced fracture (slaty clevage). It is usually
developed during metamorphism by direct pressure which cause differential movement or
recrystallization.
Schistosity:
The parallel arrangment of tabular minerals (Mica, amphiboles…etc.) to give a more or less
planar fissility. With decrease in grain size, this grades to slaty cleavage (slate). Stretched or
flattened grains, such as in quartz in deformed quartzites, may also form schistosity.
Gneissosity:
The alternation of lighter and darker layers, such as micaceous or amhibole-ric layers with
quartzfeldspathic layers. The term is often used to include metamorphic layering regardless of its
origin.
Lineation :
The parallel alignment of linear elements in the rock. It includes aligned prismatic grains,
aggregates of grains, axes of microfolds, and lines of intersection of two or more schistosities.
Prefered Orientation:
This denote parallelism of tabular or elongated grains, as in schistosity or lineation-
equidimensional grains according to their crystal lattice orientations (e.g. c-axes in quartz).
Hornfelsic and Granoblastic :
This is a non-directional texture. Planar or prismatic grains if present, are not oriented. The term
granoblastic is used for coarse-grained texture and hornflesic to finer-grained rocks.
Porphyroblastic :
Large crystals of a mineral grown in a solid medium of smaller grains. It is comparable to
phenocrysts in igneous rocks.
Poikiloblastic :
It is a porphyroblast containing numerous inclusions of one or more groundmass minerals
enveloped during growth (equivalent to sieve texture in igneous rocks)
Helicitic texture :
Direction of an earlier foliation is reflected in curved lines of inclusions that are preserved within
a porhphyroblast. Often S-shaped as might be formed by rolling of a porphyroblast during
growth.
Corona (reaction rim) :
A new mineral forms as a rim around a mineral that is no longer in its field of stability (e.g.,
actinolite around augite).
Porphyroclast :

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Coarse, strained, and broken crystals in a finer-grianed matrix.
Augen (eye-shaped):
Lage eyes (porphyroclasts) of feldspar in a finer grained gneissic matrix.
Mylonitic Extremely granulated and streaked-out grains-typically foliated and containing ovoid
relict crystals.
Catalcalstic:
Sheared and crushed rock fabric, not as extreme as mylonitic. Nature of the original rock is
recognizable from the undestroyed fragments.
Flaser:
A cataclastic texture in which undestroyed eyes of the original rock swim in granulated streasks
and laminae.

Common Metamorphic Rocks :

Foliated - Contain linear or planar features. Form in response to active pressure during
regional metamorphism. Foliation is not to be confused with the original sedimentary layering.
Slate - Fine grained, with nice rock cleavage. Cleavage due to the parallel orientation of
the mica grains.
Phyllite - Well developed foliation. Grains slightly larger than those of a slate. Again
composed of mica. Poorer rock cleavage.
Schist - Contains grains that can be seen by the eye. Still has noticeable foliation. May be
most common of all metamorphic rocks.
Gneiss - Consists of alternating light (feldspar-quartz) and dark (amphibole-biotite)
bands. Requires a higher degree of metamorphism.
Non-foliated - Show no evidence of foliation and are apt to form in a contact metamorphic
environment where pressure is unimportant.
Marble - Recrystallized limestone (calcite).
Quartzite - Metamorphosed quartz sandstone.
Hornfels - "Spotted rock" due to the presence of large crystals in a fine-grained matrix.

Metamorphic facies:
An assemblage of minerals that reached equilibrium under a specific set of temperature and
pressure conditions. Each facies named for a readily recognizable characteristic mineral or other
feature. Remember that any one mineral does not have to be present, the facies is characterized
by several different minerals:

1. Zeolite - Transitional from sedimentary conditions. P 2-4 kb and T 200-300 degrees C.

2. Greenschist - Low temperature and pressure facies of regional metamorphism. P 3-8 kb
and T 300-500 degrees C. Characterized by the green minerals chlorite, epidote and
actinolite.
3. Amphibolite - Moderate to high temperature and low pressure regional metamorphic
facies. P 3-8 kb and T 500-700 degrees C. Characterized by the presence of amphibole.
4. Granulite - High temperature and low to moderate pressure regional metamorphic facies.
P 3-12 kb and T >650 degrees C. Characterized by quartz, feldspar, same minerals in a
granite, hence the name.
5. Blueschist - Low temperature and high pressure metamorphic facies. Occurs only in areas
of abnormally low geothermal gradients. P >4 kb and T 200-450 degrees C. Name from

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 the blue mineral glaucophane. Common rock type on Catalina Island. Actually very rare
in much of the world.
6- Eclogite - Mantle rock, probably not a valid metamorphic facies. Requiresk- P>10 kb and
T from 350-750 degrees C.

Plate tectonic settings of metamorphism

Hydrothermal metamorphism occurs near mid-ocean ridges driven by the heat of the volcanic
activity there. Intrusion of igneous rocks drives contact metamorphism anywhere it occurs. Both
of these sorts are metamorphism with high temperatures and low pressures. Faults associated
with plate boundaries create cataclastic metamorphismin the shallow crust. Cataclasis grades into
totally pulverized minerals that are streaked out in bands characteristic of mylonites.

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