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METAMORPHIC ROCKS

Metamorphic Rocks
Metamorphism refers to solid-state changes to rocks in Earths interior
Produced by increased heat, pressure, or the action of hot, reactive uids Old minerals, unstable under new conditions, recrystallize into stable ones

Rocks produced from pre-existing or parent rocks(protolith) in this way are called metamorphic rocks Metamorphic rocks common in the old, stable cores of continents, known as cratons

Why we study metamorphic rocks in this class

Rocky Mountains

Glaciers exposed the Canadian Shield

North Cascades Black Hills

Appalachian Mountains

Best US exposures

Grand Canyon Llano Uplift

Usually buried deep, metamorphic rocks are seen when erosion removes covering rocks, and in the cores

Factors Controlling Metamorphic Rock Characteristics


Texture and mineral content of metamorphic rocks depend on:
Parent rock composition Temperature and pressure during metamorphism Effects of tectonic forces Effects of uids, such as water Time

Factors Controlling Metamorphic Rock Characteristics


1. Parent rock composition
Usually no new material (other than water) is added to rock during metamorphism Resulting metamorphic rock will have similar composition to parent rock

Factors Controlling Metamorphic Rock Characteristics


2. Temperature during metamorphism Heat for metamorphism comes from Earths deep interior All minerals stable over nite temperature range If range exceeded, new minerals result If temperature gets high enough, melting will occur

Factors Controlling Metamorphic Rock Characteristics


3. Pressure during metamorphism Lithostatic Conning pressure applied pressure equally in all directions Pressure proportional to depth within the Earth
increases ~1 kilobar per 3.3 km of burial within the crust

High-pressure minerals more compact/more dense

Directional Pressure
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Directed Pressure Results in:

Foliation

Foliation Under a Microscope

Metamorphic Grade

Factors Controlling Metamorphic Rock Characteristics


4. Tectonic forces
Often lead to forces that are not equal in all directions (differential stress) Compressive stress causes attening perpendicular to stress Shearing causes attening by sliding parallel to stress Planar rock texture of aligned minerals produced by differential stress is known as foliation
Foliation increases with pressure and time
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Factors Controlling Metamorphic Rock Characteristics


5. Fluids
Hot water (as vapor) is most important Rising temperature causes water to be released from unstable minerals Hot water very reactive; acts as rapid transport agent for mobile ions

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Factors Controlling Metamorphic Rock Characteristics


6. Time
Metamorphism, particularly from high pressures, may take millions of years Longer times allow newly stable minerals to grow larger and increase foliation

Types of Metamorphism

Woman And Arch

Octavio Ocampo, Metamorphosis Art

Art Soldier

Types of Metamorphism
High T, Low P Metamorphism Contact metamorphism
High temperature is dominant factor Produces non-foliated rocks Occurs adjacent to magma bodies intruding cooler country rock Occurs in narrow zone (~1-100 m wide) known as contact aureole Rocks may be ne- (e.g., hornfels cooked rock) or coarse-grained (e.g., marble, quartzite)

High T, Low P Metamorphism


Produced mostly by local heat source

Contact metamorphism

High T, Low P Metamorphism

Metamorphic aureole

Contact Metamorphism

Quartzite

metamorphosed sandstone

Types of Metamorphism
Increase of T and P Together
Regional metamorphism
High pressure is dominant factor Results in rocks with foliated textures Prevalent in intensely deformed mountain ranges
Dynamothermal Metamorphism

May occur over wide temperature range Higher pressure and temperature will produce increased metamorphic grade

Dynamothermal Metamorphism, Before collision

Sediments are unconsolidated. They will fold if pushed.


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Dynamothermal Metamorphism, After continental collision

Felsic continental materials and sediments are buoyant, they have low density They float, cannot be subducted, so they get squashed.
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Plate Tectonics and Metamorphism

Regional Metamorphism

Lots of Hot Fluids

Hydrothermal Metamorphism

Hydrothermal Metamorphism

Metamorphic Rock Classication

Metamorphic Rock Classication


Classication based on rock texture
Foliated (layered) vs. non-foliated (non-layered) Foliated rocks named based on type of foliation (slaty, schistose, gneissic) Non-foliated rocks named based on composition

Composition
Minerals present in metamorphic rock indicate the levels of temperature and pressure present when created

Metamorphic Textures (All Crystalline)

Nonfoliated

Foliated

Foliated Texture

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Fig. Story 9.4

Protolith: Shale

Textural Changes: Foliated Rocks

Slate

Phyllite

Schist

Gneiss

Migmitite

Metamorphism of Shale
Increasing (Prograde) metamorphism of shale produces:

slate phyllite schist gneiss

Mudstones are sediments, can be squashed by burial and/or in continent-continent collisions

Change in metamorphic grade with depth


Mudstone is most common sedimentary rock. When metamorphosed, rocks reveal grade:

Increasing Directed Pressure and increasing Temps =>

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Non-foliated Rocks
Marble:

metamorphosed limestone

Quartzite:

metamorphosed quartz sandstone quartz sandstone

Field Geologists are grateful for quartzites. They dont foliate, so you can see the folds. Mudrocks foliate; much harder to map.

Sample of quartzite

Thin section of quartzite

Flattening of quartz grains in quartzite

7_18

Fracture

Sandstone: grains and cement

Fracture

Quartzite: grains interlock

NonFoliated Rocks

Parent Rock Limestone

Marble (Low to High Grade)

Nonfoliated Rocks (cont.)


Parent Rocks Quartzite

Sandstone

Metacoglomerate

Conglomerate

Composition - Minerals

Chemical Composition - Parent Rock (Protolith)


Overall chemical composition of the protolith is the same as the metamorphic rock created. Protolith Felsic Mafic All Quartz All Calcite Metamorphic Rock Felsic Mafic Quartz Calcite

Mineral Composition - Geothermometers

Staurolite - Forms 500-750C Garnet - Forms 450-700C Muscovite - Forms 300-550C

Rock Forms: 500-550C

Note Temperature gradient

Index Minerals in metamorphic rocks

580oC

220oC

460oC

690oC

Note Quartz and Feldspar are not index minerals: Why?

Metamorphic Facies

Barrovian

Facies and Rock Type

CANADA

New England Dynamothermal Metamorphism

AD A CAN .A. U.S

MAINE Montpelier

NEW VERMONT HAMPSHIRE

Augusta

Caused by C-C collision M-P Most of Appalachians


ATLANTIC OCEAN

Concord

Albany NEW YORK Binghamton PENNSYLVANIA Scranton NEW JERSEY r

. .

. .

Boston

MASSACHUSETTS Hartford CONNECTICUT va l y le Low grade

R.I. Providence Unmetamorphosed Chlorite/muscovite zone Biotite zone Garnet zone Staurolite zone Sillimanite zone

t if

Long Medium Island grade Newark High grade

Increasing pressure and temperature DIAGENESIS LOW GRADE HIGH GRADE INTERMEDIATE GRADE Chlorite and muscovite Biotite Garnet Staurolite MELTING

Sillimanite

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Temp C Temp F Coal
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Limestone

Sandstone Basalt

Shale

Index Minerals

500 300 600 700 800 500 900 1000 600 1100 1200 700

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Sillimanite Melting Begins 55

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Types of Metamorphism

Where does this happen? Continental margins!

Blueschist Metamorphism
High-pressure, low-temperature Where would you get it?
Subduction zones!

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