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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]
Metasomatism (from the Greek μετά metá "change" and σῶμα sôma "body") is the chemical alteration of a rock by hydrothermal and other fluids. [1] It is traditionally defined as metamorphism which involves a change in the chemical composition, excluding volatile components. [ 2 ]
A metamorphic reaction is a chemical reaction that takes place during the geological process of metamorphism wherein one assemblage of minerals is transformed into a second assemblage which is stable under the new temperature/pressure conditions resulting in the final stable state of the observed metamorphic rock. [1]
This contact metamorphism results in a rock that is altered and re-crystallized by the extreme heat of the magma and/or by the addition of fluids from the magma that add chemicals to the surrounding rock (metasomatism). Any pre-existing type of rock can be modified by the processes of metamorphism. [4] [5]
In inorganic chemistry, mineral hydration is a reaction which adds water to the crystal structure of a mineral, usually creating a new mineral, commonly called a hydrate.. In geological terms, the process of mineral hydration is known as retrograde alteration and is a process occurring in retrograde metamorphism.
This is due to the loss of fluids (e.g. CO 2, H 2 O) from prograde metamorphism, after which there is insufficient fluid to permit reverse reaction of the mineral assemblages. [ 1 ] [ 3 ] Another reason is that the rocks are of inappropriate composition to generate all the minerals that record their complete metamorphic events. [ 1 ]
Serpentinization is a form of low-temperature (0 to ~600 °C) [5] metamorphism of ferromagnesian minerals in mafic and ultramafic rocks, such as dunite, harzburgite, or lherzolite. These are rocks low in silica and composed mostly of olivine ( (Mg 2+ , Fe 2+ ) 2 SiO 4 ), pyroxene ( XY(Si,Al) 2 O 6 ), and chromite (approximately FeCr 2 O 4 ).
A fluid inclusion is a bubble of liquid and/or gas that is trapped within a crystal. As minerals often form from a liquid or aqueous medium, tiny bubbles of that liquid can become trapped within the crystal, or along healed crystal fractures. These inclusions usually range in size from 0.01 mm to 1 mm and are only visible in detail by ...