LU 5 METAMORPHIC ROCKS

◊METAMORPHIC ROCKS

Metamorphic rocks are formed where a parent rock is

subjected to changes in pressure, temperature or
chemistry (such as addition of fluids).

Metamorphism:
Metamorphism (meta=change, morphos=form) is
defined as the mineralogical, chemical and structural
adjustments in solid rocks to physical and chemical
conditions which have been imposed due to changes in
pressure and temperature or both.

• It manifests itself in a series of changes in texture and

composition (mineral composition mainly) that are the
result of readjustment to new environmental
conditions (P & T).

• Readjustment occurs because the new conditions (e.g. increased

pressure and temperatures upon burial in a sedimentary basin) render
the original set of rock components (minerals and pore fluids)
unstable.

• A new set of minerals (or mineral assemblage) will

form that is stable under the new conditions.

• In other words, a new equilibrium mineral assemblage

will appear (equilibrium being a state where the mineral
assemblage is stable and does not change).

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 Schematic depiction of metamorphic change in mineral
assemblage

• The initial rock (at left) consists of minerals A, B, and C

that are stable under the initial conditions.

• Upon heating and burial minerals B and C become

unstable and react to form a new set of minerals, D, E,
and F, which are stable under the new conditions.

• Mineral A is stable over a wide range of conditions and did

not change.

• The rock looks now mineralogically and texturally very

different from before.

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During metamorphism,
• Some minerals change shape and size (the white
minerals).
• Other minerals disappear at the expense of new
minerals.
Notice that
 In this metamorphic rock most of the crystals
have a preferred orientation, a common feature
of metamorphic rocks formed under great
squeezing pressure.

Metamorphic changes proceed in the solid state

(thermal diffusion).

• However, water is always present in rocks

(pore spaces in sediments, as thin films between crystal
boundaries),
and it serves an important function for local ion
exchange (diffusion through the water films).

• Without water metamorphic changes would proceed extremely slowly

because diffusion through solids is much slower than diffusion
through liquids.

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Thin film diffusion during metamorphism.
• A thin fluid film (may be only a few water molecules thick
in places) along mineral boundaries takes up atoms from
adjacent minerals.
• These can then diffuse through the fluid at greatly
enhanced speeds (when compared to diffusion through a
solid).
• The elements marked in color are migrating down a
concentration gradient towards a place where a new
mineral is growing that uses them up (thus low
concentrations

Metamorphism occurs below the surface zones of

weathering and cementation.

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 The lower temperature limit at which metamorphism takes
place, marks the boundary between metamorphism and
diagenesis.

• Lower T = 100-150°C - excludes any diagenetic changes.

• High T - upper boundary at 700-900°C, over a
wide pressure range, with excess water, depending
on bulk composition of the rock.

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It is generally considered to end when large scale melts of
igneous character are produced.

The metamorphic reactions result to adjust to new physio-

chemical conditions resulting from the following causes.

1) Types of Metamorphism

Thermal metamorphism involves the heating and

structural and chemical alteration of rocks.

This type of metamorphism has two sub-categories:

• Regional metamorphism is the large scale heating

and modification of existing rock. It involves large areas
and large volumes of rock.

• Contact metamorphism is the small scale heating

and alteration of rock by way of a localized igneous
intrusion (for example, volcanic dykes or sills).

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Dynamic metamorphism causes only the structural
alteration of rock through pressure. The minerals in the
altered rocks do not change chemically.

Metasomatic metamorphism involves the chemical

replacement of elements in rock minerals when gases and
liquids permeate into bedrock.

1. Regional Metamorphism:

Corresponds to progressive changes, increases, in

temperature & pressure, due to burial
Commonly this type of metamorphism is associated with
regional scale events and processes.
Regionally metamorphosed rocks occur in very large belts,
10 - 100's km wide by 100 - 1000's km long.

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2. Contact Metamorphism:

Recrystallization, production of metamorphic mineral

assemblages, within the contact aureole (zone)
surrounding an intrusive body.
Generally held that pressure remains constant and
metamorphism results from temperature increase, due to
conduction of heat away from intrusive.

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3. Cataclastic Metamorphism:

Crushing or grinding of rocks as a result of fault

movement.

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2) Texture

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http://www.classzone.com/books/earth_science/ter
c/content/visualizations/es0607/es0607page01.cfm?
chapter_no=visualization

Foliation
Defined as a pervasive planar structure that results from the
nearly parallel alignment of sheet silicate minerals and/or
compositional and mineralogical layering in the rock.

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Development of Foliation and Minerals

In Shale

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•

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3) Mineralogy

Mineral Composition
Quartz SiO2
Microcline (K-feldspar) KAlSi3O8
Plagioclase feldspar NaAlSi3O8 - CaAl2Si2O8
Muscovite KAl Mica, KAl2(Al,Si3)O10 (OH)2
Biotite K(Mg,Fe)3(Al,Fe,Si3)O10(OH)2
Chlorite Mg-Fe sheet silicate
Andalusite, Kyanite, & Sillimanite Al2SiO5
Fe-Mg-Al silicate
Cordierite
Mg2Al4Si5O18
almandine Fe3Al2(SiO4)3
andradite Ca3Fe2(SiO4)3
Garnet
grossular Ca3Al2(SiO4)3
pyrope Mg3Al2(SiO4)3
Talc Mg3Si4O10(OH)2
Wollastonite CaSiO3
CaMg amphibole
Tremolite
Ca2(Mg,Fe++)5Si8O22(OH)2
Ca(Fe,Mg) amphibole
Actinolite
Ca2(Mg,Fe++)5Si8O22(OH)2
NaMg amphibole
Glaucophane
Na2(Mg,Fe++)3Al2Si8O22(OH)2
Hornblende (Na,Ca)(Fe,Mg) amphibole
Jadeite [a pyroxene] NaAlSi2O6
Diopside [a pyroxene] Ca(Fe,Mg)Si2O6
Serpentine Mg3Si2O5(OH)4

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Development of Metamorphic Minerals: The minerals
that develop in a metamorphic rock depend upon the:

1. Grade of metamorphism:

The metamorphic grade describes how metamorphosed a

rock is.
It runs from low grade, where the rocks are hardly
changed from their original form due to low pressures and
temperatures, to high grade, where the rocks are heavily
altered due to high pressures and/or temperatures.
• The reactions in metamorphic rocks giving rise to
minerals are largely controlled by temperature and
temperature is a proxy for "metamorphic grade".

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2. Composition of the parent material:

Shale:

High-Grade
Low-Grade Slate Medium-Grade Schist
Rock Gneiss

Minerals chlorite -> biotite- garnet -> staurolite ->

sillimanite
> kyanite->
Sandstones:
Parent Metamorphic Minerals Metamorphic Rock Name
Sandstone quartz +/- feldspar quartzite
Limestone:
Parent Metamorphic Minerals Metamorphic Rock Name
Limestone calcite +/- dolomite marble

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4) Classification:

Metamorphic rocks are named primarily on the basis of their

textures.

It turns out that the texture is a function of the degree or

grade of metamorphism.

Metamorphic Rocks are commonly divided into two groups:

• Foliated Rocks showing distinct planar texture due to

alignment of mineral grains.

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 Before metamorphism After metamorphism

The mineral grains in rocks subjected to extreme pressure

often rearrange themselves in a parallel fashion, creating a
foliated texture

• Nonfoliated Rocks showing no preferred orientation.

Metamorphism of quartz-rich sandstone produces

quartzite, a very hard, nonfoliated metamorphic rock
consisting almost entirely of silica.
Metamorphism of limestone and dolomite causes
recrystallization of calcite to produce marble. Calcite
crystals in marble are generally inter-grown and of
uniform size.

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Chemical Composition: Information on the distribution of
elements during metamorphism is meager (Krauskorf and
Bird, 1995).

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