Metamorphism

For other uses, see Metamorphism (disambiguation).
Schematic representation of a metamorphic reaction. Abbreviations of minerals: act = actinolite; chl = chlorite; ep = epidote; gt = garnet; hbl = hornblende; plag = plagioclase. Two minerals represented in the figure do not participate in the reaction, they can be quartz and K-feldspar. This reaction takes place in nature when a mafic rock goes from amphibolite facies to greenschist facies.
A cross-polarized thin section image of a garnet-mica-schist from Salangen Municipality, Norway showing the strong strain fabric of schists. The black crystal is garnet, the pink-orange-yellow colored strands are muscovite mica, and the brown crystals are biotite mica. The grey and white crystals are quartz and (limited) feldspar.

Metamorphism is the transformation of existing rock (the protolith) to rock with a different mineral composition or texture. Metamorphism takes place at temperatures in excess of 150 °C (300 °F), and often also at elevated pressure or in the presence of chemically active fluids, but the rock remains mostly solid during the transformation.[1] Metamorphism is distinct from weathering or diagenesis, which are changes that take place at or just beneath Earth's surface.[2]

Various forms of metamorphism exist, including regional, contact, hydrothermal, shock, and dynamic metamorphism. These differ in the characteristic temperatures, pressures, and rate at which they take place and in the extent to which reactive fluids are involved. Metamorphism occurring at increasing pressure and temperature conditions is known as prograde metamorphism, while decreasing temperature and pressure characterize retrograde metamorphism.

Metamorphic petrology is the study of metamorphism. Metamorphic petrologists rely heavily on statistical mechanics and experimental petrology to understand metamorphic processes.

  1. ^ Marshak 2009, p. 177.
  2. ^ Vernon 2008, p. 1.