METAMORPHIC
ROCKS
JOVY CAORTE │MARIELLE CARUNGAY│JERIC DIOCTON
Metamorphic rock, estimated to be as old as
3.8 billion years, located near Isua at Qorqut
Sound, Greenland.
*formed through the transformation of pre-
existing rocks in a process known as
metamorphism.
*The original rock, or protolith, is subjected
to heat and pressure which cause physical,
chemical and mineralogical changes to the
rock.
*formed within the Earth’s crust.
*Examples of metamorphic rocks include anthracite,
quartzite, marble, slate, granulite, gneiss and schist.
*Anthracite is a type of coal with a high carbon count,
few impurities and with a high luster (meaning it
looks shiny).
*Marble is a metamorphic rock that is formed from the
sedimentary rock limestone.
*Quartziteis a metamorphic rock that is formed from
the sedimentary rock sandstone.
*Slateis a metamorphic rock that is formed from the
sedimentary rock mudstone.
*Granulite is a metamorphic rock that is formed from
the igneous rock basalt.
Three ways a metamorphic rocks can
be form.
*REGIONAL METAMORPHISM – large areas of extreme heat
and pressure.
*DYNAMIC METAMORPHISM- occurs because of mountain
building.
*CONTACT METAMORPHISM- localized: associated with
igneous intrusion
type of metamorphism in which the mineralogy and texture of
rocks are changed over a wide area by deep burial and heating
associated with the large-scale forces of plate tectonics.
These huge forces of heat and pressure cause the rocks to
be bent, folded, crushed, flattened, and sheared.
occurs when magma comes in contact with an already
existing body of rock. When this happens the existing rocks
temperature rises and also becomes infiltrated with fluid
from the magma. The area affected by the contact of
magma is usually small, from 1 to 10 kilometers. Contact
metamorphism produces non-foliated rocks such as marble,
quartzite, and hornfels.
* Metamorphic facies. Green schist, amphibolite and
granulite conditions are typically associated with regional
metamorphism. Blue schist and eclogite are associated with
the type of regional metamorphism that occurs at
subduction zones. Hornfels and sanidinite are typically
associated with contact metamorphism.
* The process of metamorphism is associated with the formation
of particular metamorphic minerals. Some silicate minerals are
so diagnostic of metamorphism that their presence indicates
that the rock is metamorphic.
* metamorphic rock can be defined by its mineral assemblage, it
can also be defined by its texture.
* Foliated textures
* Slaty cleavage
* Schistosity
* Gneissic texture
* Non-foliated textures
* Granoblastic
* Porphyroblastic
Foliated textures
along
*Slaty cleavage– closely spaced planar surfaces
which rocks are easily split; seen in slate, which is a
very fine-grained foliated rock derived from an
original shale protolith.
*Schistosity– medium sized platy minerals in a
preferred orientation, often interlayered with quartz
and feldspar; characteristic of the rock type schist.
*Gneissic texture – seen in high-grade metamorphic
rocks and characterised by medium- to coarse-
grained crystals arranged in alternating bands of
dark and light minerals
*Non-foliated textures
*Granoblastic– a mosaic of equidimensional
grains; hornfels, marble and quartzite have
a granoblastic texture.
*Porphyroblastic– characterised
by porphyroblasts, which are large crystals
surrounded by a finer-grained groundmass
in a metamorphic rock. This texture is
often seen in garnet-mica schists.
*Any rock (igneous, sedimentary, or metamorphic) can
become a metamorphic rock. If rocks are buried deep
in the Earth at high temperatures and pressures, they
form new minerals and textures all without melting. If
melting occurs, magma is formed, starting the rock
cycle all over again.
*Schist, Anglesey
These rocks at Porth Dafarch originated as silts
and mods on ocean floor
*Gneiss, Scotland
Metamorphic Rocks in the
Philippines
*In the Philippines, marble deposits are widely
distributed in the provinces of Romblon, Mindoro,
Panay, Palawan, Marinduque, Cebu, Catanduanes,
Negros, Samar, Bulacan and Rizal.
*Marble Quarry, Romblon
*Marble Park, Calbayog City
* Grotzinger J.P. & Jordan, T.H. (2014)
Understanding Earth, 7th edn, Chapter 6.
Freeman.
* Rothery D.A. (2003) Teach Yourself Geology.
Teach Yourself Books.
* [Link]
rocks-lesson-14
