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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]
Metamorphic rock, deformed during the Variscan orogeny, at Vall de Cardós, Lérida, Spain. Metamorphic rocks arise from the transformation of existing rock to new types of rock in a process called metamorphism. The original rock (protolith) is subjected to temperatures greater than 150 to 200 °C (300 to 400 °F) and, often, elevated pressure ...
Ultra-high-temperature metamorphism. In geology ultrahigh-temperature metamorphism (UHT) is extreme crustal metamorphism with metamorphic temperatures exceeding 900 °C. [1][2][3][4] Granulite - facies rocks metamorphosed at very high temperatures were identified in the early 1980s, although it took another decade for the geoscience community ...
Gneiss. Metamorphic rock. Sample of gneiss exhibiting "gneissic banding". Gneiss (/ naɪs / nice) is a common and widely distributed type of metamorphic rock. It is formed by high-temperature and high-pressure metamorphic processes acting on formations composed of igneous or sedimentary rocks. This rock is formed under pressures anywhere from 2 ...
Granulite. Class of high-grade medium to coarse grained metamorphic rocks. A sample of granulite-facies metamorphic rock of felsic composition, with garnet porphyroblasts. Granulites are a class of high-grade metamorphic rocks of the granulite facies that have experienced high-temperature and moderate-pressure metamorphism.
The sanidinite facies is a rare facies of extremely high temperatures and low pressure. It can only be reached under certain contact-metamorphic circumstances. Due to the high temperature the rock experiences partial melting and glass is formed. This facies is named for the mineral sanidine. It is characterized by the following mineral assemblages:
Migmatite on the coast of Saaremaa, Estonia. Intricately-folded migmatite from near Geirangerfjord, Norway. Migmatite is a composite rock found in medium and high-grade metamorphic environments, commonly within Precambrian cratonic blocks. It consists of two or more constituents often layered repetitively: one layer is an older metamorphic rock ...
The higher the pressure and temperature in which the rock formed, the higher the grade of the rock. The concept traces its roots to 1912, when G. M. Barrow mapped zones of metamorphism in Scotland. Each zone is named for the index mineral that appears in it, for example, the chlorite zone is named for chlorite.