Metamorphic Rocks
Engineering Geology
Rock cycle
Metamorphism
• High Enough Temperature & Pressure To “Change”
Rocks
but Not High Enough To Melt Rocks Changes
To Rocks Occur In The Solid-state…
• Hot, Reactive Fluids Also Contribute
• Old Minerals, Unstable Under New P, T
Conditions, re-crystallize Into
New Minerals
• Metamorphism Occurs At Depth; Cannot
See Metamorphic Rocks Unless they Are Uplifted
Metamorphic Rocks: Controlling
Factors
• Parent Rock Composition (Also Called Protolith)
• Temperature And Pressure During Metamorphism
• Tectonic Forces
• Fluids
A Protolith Is The Original, Unmetamorphosed
Rock From
which A Given Metamorphic Rock Is Formed
Parent Rock Composition
No New Material Is Added To Rock During Metamorphism
Metamorphic Rock Will Have Similar
Composition To Parent Rock
If Parent Material Contains Only One
Mineral
Resultant Metamorphic Rock Will Only Have One
Mineral
--Mineral Will Be Recrystallized (Texture
Changes)--
Limestone Marble
Parent Material Contains many Minerals…
…Old Minerals Will Recombine To Form New
Minerals
Clay, Quartz, Mica, And Volcanic Fragments In A Sandstone
Will Combine To Form New Metamorphic Minerals
Example is Garnet:
Which Grows During
Metamorphism
Garnet Schist (Metamorphic Rock)
Temperature During Metamorphism
• Heat From Earth’s Deep Interior
• All Minerals Stable Over Finite Temperature Range
• Higher Temperatures Than Range Cause Melting
(And Therefore Generates Igneous Rocks)
Heat Is Essential
Think About Mixing Flour, Yeast, Water, Salt….
….Nothing Happens Until They Have A Heat Source
And Then They Make Bread
Pressure During Metamorphism
Pressure In The Earth Acts The Same In All Directions
Pressure Is Proportional
To Depth In The Earth
Increases At ~1 Kilobar Pressure Increases
With Depth
Per 3.3 Km
Volume Decreases
With Depth
Look At Example With Deep Water
Consequence On Cube Is Squeezing
Into Smaller Cube
--Grains Pack Together--
High Pressure Minerals: More Compact And
Dense
ectonic Forces - Driven By Plate Motion!
Lead To Forces That Are Not Equal In All Directions (Differential Stress)
ompressive Stress (Hands Squeeze Together)
auses Flattening At 90° To Stress
Shearing (Hands Rubbing Together)
Causes Flattening Parallel To Stress
Flattened Pebbles In Metamorphic Rock
Fluids
• Hot Water (Water Vapor) Most Important
• Heat Causes Unstable Minerals To Release Water
• Water Reacts With Surrounding Rocks
And Transports Dissolved Material And Ions
Time
• Metamorphism May Take Millions Of Years
• Longer Times Allow New Minerals To Grow Larger
--Coarser Grained Rocks
Metamorphic Rocks: Basic
Classification
Based On Rock Texture
Foliated (Layered)
Type Of Foliation -- E.G. Slaty
Non-foliated (Non-layered)
Composition -- E.G. Marble
Appearance Under Microscope
Non-foliated Foliated
Foliated Metamorphic Rock: Slate
Foliated Metamorphic Rock: Slate
oliated Metamorphic Rock: Gneiss (Higher T, P Than Schist)
Banding Of Quartz/Feldspar And Ferromagnesian Minerals
Non-foliated (Non-layered) Metamorphic Rocks
Results From Pressure: Equal In All Directions
Named On The Basis Of Their Composition
Marble (Caco3)
Non-foliated Metamorphic Rocks: Quartzite
Metamorphosed
Quartz Sandstone
Non-foliated Metamorphic Rocks: Hornfels
Metamorphosed
Basalt
Photo Credit: R. Weller
Types Of Metamorphism
Contact Metamorphism
• Occurs Adjacent To Magma Bodies Intruding
Cooler Country Rock -- “Contact”
• Produces Non-foliated Metamorphic Rocks
• Happens In A Narrow Zone Of Contact
(~1 To 100 M Wide) Known As Aureole
• Forms Fine-grained (E.G. Hornfels) Or
Coarse-grained (E.G. Marble) Rocks
Types Of Metamorphism
Regional Metamorphism
• Occurs Over Wide Region And
Mostly In Deformed
Mountain Ranges
• Produces Foliated Metamorphic
Rocks
• Happens At High Pressures And
Over A Range Of Temperature
• Increases In Pressures And
Temperatures Forms Rocks Of
Higher Metamorphic Grade
Other Types Of Metamorphism (Less Common)
Partial Melting During Metamorphism
• Produces Migmatites, Which
Have Both Intrusive And
Metamorphic Textures
Shock Metamorphism
• Occurs During Impact Events
• Yields Very High Pressures
• Forms “Shocked” Rocks Around
Impact Craters