METAMORPHIC ROCKS
-The word “metamorphic” comes from the Greek word means “to change form”.
-Metamorphic rocks form from heat and pressure changing the original or parent rock into a new completely new
rock
The parent rock can be either sedimentary, igneous, or even another metamorphic rock.
Examples of metamorphic rocks are Marble, Slate, Anthracite, Quartzite, Gneiss, and Schist.
THE DESCENDING OF ROCK LAYERS AT SUBDUCTION ZONES CAUSES METAMORPHISM IN TWO WAYS:
The shearing effect of the plates sliding past each other causes the rocks coming in contact with the
descending rocks to change. Some of the descending rocks will melt because of this friction.
When rocks melt it is then considered igneous not metamorphic, but the rock next to the melted rock can
be changed by heat and become a metamorphic rock.
METAMORPHISM
A change in the constitution of rock specifically : a pronounced change effected by the pressure, heat, and
water that results in a more compact and more highly crystalline condition.
There are two main ways that metamorphic rocks can form. These are: Contact and Regional
Metamorphism.
CONTACT METAMORPHISM
Contact Metamorphism occurs when magma comes in contact with an already existing body of rock.
REGIONAL METAMORPHISM
Regional Metamorphism is a type of metamorphism where the formation of a metamorphic rock occurs in
a wide area.
METAMORPHIC ROCKS ARE DIVIDED INTO TWO CATEGORIES:
FOLIATE
• Foliate comes from the latin word that means “sheets” , as in the sheets of paper in a book.
• Foliates are composed of large amount of micas and chlorites. These minerals have very distinct cleavage.
• Foliated rocks generally develop from a parent rocks containing multiple minerals or mixtures of multiple
rock types.
NON FOLIATES
• Non foliates are metamorphic rocks that have no cleavage at all, example quartzite and marble.
HERE ARE THE FOLLOWING EXAMPLES OF METAMORPHIC ROCKS: ( PROPERTIES , OCCURRENCE AND DISRIBUTION)
QUARTZITE
MARBLE
SLATE
GNEISS
SCHIST
QUARTZITE
Quartzite is a non foliated metamorphic rock composed almost entirely of quartz.
It is dominated by quartz, and in many cases, the original quartz grains of the sandstone are welded
together with additional silica.
FORMATION
• Quartzite is metamorphosed sandstone.
• It forms when a quartz-rich sandstone is altered by the heat, pressure, and chemical activity of
metamorphism.
CHARACTERISTIC AND PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF ROCKS
• Texture: Granular
• Parent Rock: Sandstone
• Hardness: 7 on Moh’s scale hardness
• Color: Pure quartzite is white but quartzite exists in a wide variety of color.
• Other features: Generally gritty to touch.
• Porosity: Quartzite has a range of porosities.
Uses
• Quartzite is use for making bricks and other strong building materials.
• Crushed quartzite can be use as railroad track ballast because is so hard and durable.
• It can be used in many different shapes and forms including landscaping, building stone, as a feature wall,
tiles or even stone cladding. Some of the most common uses indoors are floors, countertops, vanities,
fireplace surrounds, etc
ADDITIONAL FACTS ABOUT QUARTZITE
• At least 90% of quartzite rock is quartz.
• The purest form of silica found on Earth can be found in quartzite.
• The shade of quartzite is dependent upon the amount of iron oxide.
• Quartzite can be found in many countries including Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States is
present.
MARBLE
• Name origin: The word “marble” derives from the Ancient Greek mármaros , “crystalline rock, shining
stone”
• Marble is a granular metamorphic rock, it is derived from limestone or dolomite and it consists of a mass
of interlocking grains of calcite or the mineral dolomite.
FORMATION
• Form of it when limestone buried deep in the older layers of Earth’s crust is subjected to heat and
pressure from thick layers of overlying sediments.
• It may also form as a result of contact metamorphism near igneous intrusions.
CHARACTERISTIC and PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
• Color White, pink
• Parent Rock: Limestone
• Grain size – medium grained; can see interlocking calcite crystals with the naked eye.
• Hardness – 3 on Moh’s scale of hardness
• Rocks Texture: Granoblastic, granular:.
USES
Marble is a versatile and beautiful natural stone that has been used for centuries in a wide variety of applications.
Here are some of the most common uses and areas where marble is used:
• Building and architecture
• Sculpture
• Countertops and tabletops
• Flooring
• Landscaping
• Art and crafts
SLATE
• Is believed that the word “slate” comes from the Old French word “scalar” meaning fragment, from the
verb slater, to shatter.
• Is a fine-grained, foliated metamorphic rock this is created via the alteration of shale or mudstone by
means of low-grade local metamorphism. It is famous for a extensive form of makes use of such as
roofing, floors, and flagging due to its sturdiness and appealing look.
FORMATION
• Slate is usually formed from mudstone that has been put under pressure and heated up during plate
collisions and mountain building.
Characteristics and physical properties
• Parent Rock: Shale, Mudstone, or Siltstone.
• Color: Gray slate is common, but the rock occurs in a variety of colors, including brown, purple, green, and
blue.
• Texture – Foliated Metamorphic Rock
• Grain size – Very fine-grained; crystals not visible to the naked eye.
• Hardness –it ranges between 2.5-4 on the Moh’s scale
• Other features – smooth to touch.
Uses: Slate is mainly used for:
• Roofing
• Facade cladding Flooring
• Decorative aggregate
• Other uses: tables, countertops, plates for restaurant.
GNEISS
• Name origin: Gneiss word first has been used English since at least 1757. Probably origin is German word
Gneiss that mean “spark”.
• Gneiss is a foliated metamorphic rock that is a common distribute type of rock high-grade regional
metamorphic approaches from pre-current formations that have been initially both igneous or
sedimentary rocks.
FORMATION
• All gneiss forms as a result of high-grade, regional metamorphic conditions.
• Gneiss rocks exhibit a unique form of foliation known as gneissic banding, which are thicker bands of
foliation than most metamorphic rocks display. It is one of the features that helps differentiate gneiss from
other foliated rocks.
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
• Parent Rock: Shale, granitic and volcanic rocks
• Texture: Foliated, foliation on a scale of cm or more.
• Grain size: Medium to coarse grained; seeing with the naked eye.
• Hardness: it ranges 6-7 on the Moh’s scale
• Color: generally alternating lighter and darker sub-parallel discontinuous bands.
• Other features: Generally rough to touch.
USES
• It is long lasting sufficient to carry out properly as a size stone. These rocks are sawn or sheared into blocks
and slabs utilized in a ramification of constructing, paving, and curbing initiatives.
• Some of it accepts a vibrant polish and is appealing sufficient to be used as an architectural stone.
Beautiful floor tiles, facing stone, stair treads, window sills, counter tops, and cemetery monuments are
regularly crafted from polished gneiss.
SCHIST
• Name origin: The name is derived from the Greek word that means “to split.”
• Schist is foliated medium grade metamorphic rock.
• It usually has better crystallization of mica minerals. They are biotite, chlorite and muscovite so this called
schistosity texture.
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
• Texture – Foliated, Foliation, Schistosity Texture
• Parent Rock: Shale, Siltstone, and some Sandstone
• Grain size – Fine to medium grained; can often see crystals with the naked eye.
• Hardness – 4-5 on the Moh’s scale
• Color – Usually alternating lighter and darker bands, often shiny.
• Other features –Smooth to touch.
FORMATION
• Schist is medium grade metamorphic rock, formed by the metamorphosis of mudstone /shale, or some
types of igneous rock, to a higher degree than slate, it has been subjected to higher temperatures and
pressures.
USES
• It is used in building houses or walls.
• It has been previously used to make decorative rock walls.
• Presently, It is used as a decorative stone as well as for jewelry.