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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]
However, metamorphism can take place without metasomatism (isochemical metamorphism) or at depths of just a few hundred meters where pressures are relatively low (for example, in contact metamorphism). [9] Metamorphic processes change the texture or mineral composition of the metamorphosed rock.
The third distinctive feature is from isochemical metamorphism, or the addition or subtraction of major elements other than water (H 2 O) and carbon dioxide (CO 2). [6] The last feature is the distinct zones of metasomatism. These are formed from magmatism and metamorphism and form a characteristic pattern of a metasomatic column. [6]
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]
Prograde (pre-peak) metamorphism: the process when the rock is buried and heated in environments such as basins or subduction zones. [3] Devolatilization reactions (release of gases e.g. CO 2, H 2 O) are common. [3] Peak metamorphism: the maximum temperature reached throughout the metamorphic history. [3]
In contact metamorphism (metamorphism caused by high temperatures at low pressure in the vicinity of an igneous intrusion) a local contact aureole of zones is formed around a heat source. In rocks in subduction zones , that are transported to great depths in relatively low temperatures, rare types of metamorphic zones can develop.
Often, retrograde metamorphism will not form a foliation because the unroofing of a metamorphic belt is not accompanied by significant compressive stress. Thermal metamorphism in the aureole of a granite is also unlikely to result in the growth of mica in a foliation, although the growth of new minerals may overprint existing foliation(s).
A metamorphic facies is a set of mineral assemblages in metamorphic rocks formed under similar pressures and temperatures. [1] The assemblage is typical of what is formed in conditions corresponding to an area on the two dimensional graph of temperature vs. pressure (See diagram in Figure 1). [1]