Metamorphism

METAMORPHISM
PRESENTATION BY: DUSTIN NATHANIEL E. LABSAN AND

FRANCHESCO HOWARD GREMIO
Metamorphism
The process when a rock changes its form into a new one without undergoing melting or disintegration is
called metamorphism. This implies that the change occur in a solid state. The original rock or protalith,
undergoes mineralogical and textural changes due to modification of its physical or chemical environment.
The shape, size, and arrangement of grains in the rock may change and new minerals may grow. The
transformation may take thousands to millions of years and would involve several processes.
1. Recrystallization refers to the changes in shape and size of minerals without changing its identity.
2.Phase change is the process that transforms a grain of one mineral into a grain of another mineral having
the same composition but different crystal structure. For example, quartz changes into coesite-both are SiO
3. Neocrystallization is the growth of new minerals that differ from those in the protolith. Chemical reactions
digest the existing minerals to produce new minerals sometimes with the aid of hydrothermal fluids (hot water
solutions).
4. Pressure solution refers to the dissolution of mineral grains when a rock is squeezed dominantly in one
direction at relatively low temperature and pressure and in the presence of water. The dissolved mineral
migrates and precipitate elsewhere with aid of water. This can cause grains to change shape-shorter in one
direction and longer in the other.
5. Plastic deformation occurs when some minerals become flattened or elongated without changing either the
composition or crystal structure due to their plastic behavior when exposed to high temperature and pressure.
Causes of Metamorphism
Metamorphism occurs at temperatures roughly between 200°C to 850°C, the temperature range between
diagenesis and melting. At high temperature, atoms vibrate rapidly, causing the chemical bonds to stretch and
bend. If the bonds break, atoms detach and move to form new bonds with other atoms. This process leads to
rearrangement of atoms within the mineral or to migration into other minerals. Recrystallization and
neocrystallization occur because of this process. Rocks formed below 320°C are low-grade metamorphic
rocks, while those formed over 500°C are considered as high-grade metamorphic rocks.
Minerals with relatively open crystal structure (large spaces between

atoms) are stable near the Earth's surface. When these minerals are
subjected to extreme pressure, the crystal structure becomes smaller
and denser minerals form. The transformation involves phase change
and/or neocrystallization. Metamorphism occurs at pressure of about 12
kilobars, which is about 12000 times the pressure at the surface of
Earth. This pressure corresponds to about 40 km depth. However there
are ultra-high pressure metamorphic rocks that formed at about 29
kilobars or at depths from 80 km to 100 km. These rocks contain the
mineral coesite and diamond (a phase of carbon), which are formed at
very high pressure.
Temperature and pressure change together with increasing depth. The stability of certain minerals and
assemblages depends on both temperature and pressure condition. When the temperature or pressure
changes, the mineral becomes unstable and the atoms migrate to form new mineral. For example, aluminum
silicate exist in three forms: kyanite, andalusite, and sillimanite. At 2 kilobars and 450°C, andalusite is stable.
When the pressure is increase to 5 kilobars but the temperature remains at 450°C, it will turn into kyanite. If the
temperature is increase to 650°C and the pressure remains at 5 kilobars, sillimanite will form.
Rocks experience differential stress or unequal stress magnitude in different directions in the form of tension,
compression, and shear. When this occurs at high temperature and pressure, the rock will change its shape
without breaking resulting into a preferred mineral orientation. Flat grains lie parallel to each other and elongate
grains align in the same direction resulting into a planar fabric. This apparent layering in the rock is a type of
metamorphic foliation. Preferred mineral orientation can develop through the process of pressure solution,
plastic deformation, neocrystallization, and grain rotation
Metamorphism usually occurs in the presence of hydrothermal fluids. This fluid includes hot water, steam, and
supercritical fluid-a substance formed at high temperature and pressure that behave like liquid and gas. Fluids
accelerate metamorphic reactions since atoms can migrate faster through fluids than in just solid phase. Water
absorbed in the reaction came from fluids. Fluids also pick up some ions and drop others, thus changing
chemical composition of the rock. The process wherein hydrothermal fluids are involved in the change of
chemical composition of rock is called metasomatism.
The common types of metamorphic rocks and their corresponding protolith.
Structural Geologist
Structural geology is the study of how earth

deforms by examining rocks at any scale. A
structural geologist studies the forces that cause
folds, faults, and whole mountain ranges. They
examine rocks that have been deformed for
millions of years and those that have ruptured
instantaneously in earthquakes. Structural
geologists also study hazards such as
earthquakes, tsunamis, and landslides. They are
also involved in the search for petroleum and
mineral resources.
Types of Metamorphism
An intruding magma can cause metamorphism because of its high temperature and the presence of
hydrothermal fluid. The magma cools but is surrounding rock heats up. This process is care contact
metamorphism. The zone of metamorphic rock around an intrusive body is called metamorphic aureole.
Nonfoliated metamorphic rocks such as marble, derived from limestone protolith, are formed in this manner.
Metamorphism can also occur in sedimentary basins. As sediments pile up and become thicker, the pressure
increases due to the weight, and the temperature also increases because of geothermal gradient. At the upper
part, diagenesis takes place but at depths of 8 km to 15 km temperature is high enough to cause
metamorphism referred to as burial metamorphism.
Faulting near the surface of the Earth causes rocks to break into angular fragments or to powder. At greater
depth, rocks behave like plastic as they are sheared during faulting because of higher temperature. This leads
to recrystallization of minerals in fault zones. This is called dynamic or cataclastic metamorphism. It only
involves shearing and does not require change in temperature or pressure. The rock that is formed in this
process is called mylonite. It has foliation parallel to the fault.
In convergent plate boundaries, large slices of crusts slip up over other portions of the crust. Materials that were
once situated near the surface are transported at greater depths. The protolith is subjected to higher temperature
due to geothermal gradient and igneous activity. It also experiences higher pressure due to the weight of
overlying rocks. Lastly, it is also subjected to differential stress due to plate movement. These factors lead to
changes that result into foliated metamorphic rocks. This type of metamorphism is called regional
metamorphism. In mid-ocean ridges, cold seawater penetrate the crust through the faults. It is heated by the
rising magma turning it into hydrothermal fluids. These fluids reacts with the existing basalt in the seafloor and
produce new chlorite mineral. This process is an example of regional metamorphism
Extraterrestrial objects such as meteorite also cause changes

in the rocks at the surface of the Earth. Vast amount of kinetic
energy is transformed into heat during a meteorite impact,
enough to vaporize rock at the impact site. The extreme
compression of the shock wave causes minerals to change its
chemical structure. Quartz is transformed to coesite through
this process. This is called shock metamorphism.

Metamorphism

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METAMORPHISM

PRESENTATION BY: DUSTIN NATHANIEL E. LABSAN AND

Minerals with relatively open crystal structure (large spaces between

Structural geology is the study of how earth

Extraterrestrial objects such as meteorite also cause changes

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