CAPTULO XII: GEOQUMICA DE LOS PROCESOS

METAMRFICOS

Metamorfismo como proceso geoqumico.

Migracin de elementos. Clasificacin
geolgica del metamorfismo. Metamorfismo
sin adicin de sustancias. Metamorfismo con
adicin de sustancias. Clasificacin qumica
de las rocas metamrficas. Mineraloga de
las rocas metamrficas. Series de facies y
sus cambios minerales.
 Metamorfismo
El IUGS-SCMR ha propuesto la definicin siguiente de
metamorfismo:
El metamorfismo es un proceso aplicado a un protolito
que lleva a los cambios en la mineraloga y/o textura (por
ejemplo el tamao de grano) y a menudo en la
composicin qumica en una roca. Estos cambios son
debidos a condiciones fsicas y/o qumicas que difieren de
aqullos normalmente ocurridos en la superficie de la
tierra y en las zonas de compactacin y diagenesis debajo
de esta superficie. Ellos pueden coexistir con la fusin
parcial.
Fresh basalt and
weathered basalt
 The Limits of Metamorphism
Low-temperature limit grades into diagenesis
Processes are indistinguishable
Metamorphism begins in the range of 100-150 oC
for the more unstable types of protolith
Some zeolites are considered diagenetic and
others metamorphic pretty arbitrary
 Temperature:
typically the most
important factor in
metamorphism

Figure 1.9. Estimated ranges of oceanic and

continental steady-state geotherms to a depth of
100 km using upper and lower limits based on heat
flows measured near the surface. After Sclater et
al. (1980), Earth. Rev. Geophys. Space Sci., 18,
269-311.
The Limits of Metamorphism
 Metamorphic Agents and
Changes
Increasing temperature has several effects
1) Promotes recrystallization increased grain size
Larger surface/volume ratio of a mineral lower stability
Fine aggregates coalesce to larger grains
Especially for fine-grained and unstable materials in a static environment (shear stresses
often reduce grain size)
2) Drives reactions that consume unstable mineral(s) and produces new minerals
that are stable under the new conditions
3) Overcomes kinetic barriers that might otherwise preclude the attainment of
equilibrium
Disequilibrium is relatively common in sediments and diagenesis
Mineral assemblages are usually simpler at higher grades and the phase rule is applicable
 Metamorphic Agents and
Changes
Pressure

Normal gradients perturbed in several ways,

most commonly:
High T/P geotherms in areas of plutonic
activity or rifting
Low T/P geotherms in subduction zones
estimates of metamorphic temperature-pressure relationships from ancient orogenic
belts
Based on P-T estimates for rocks exposed at the surface in these areas along a
traverse from lowest to highest metamorphic conditions: metamorphic field
gradients not same as geotherms
 Metamorphic Agents and Changes
Metamorphic grade: a general increase in degree of
metamorphism without specifying the exact relationship
between temperature and pressure

Consider pressure as a modifier, in the

sense that temperature can increase
along any number of pressure-varied
paths
High T/P paths (low P) favor the
formation of low-density
metamorphic minerals as
temperature rises
Low T/P paths (high P) favor
denser minerals
 Metamorphic Agents and Changes
Lithostatic pressure - uniform stress (hydrostatic)
Deviatoric stress = pressure unequal in different directions
Resolved into three mutually perpendicular stress ()
components:
1 is the maximum principal stress
2 is an intermediate principal stress
3 is the minimum principal stress
In hydrostatic situations all three are equal
Stress is an applied force acting on a rock (over a particular cross-
sectional area)
Strain is the response of the rock to an applied stress (= yielding or
deformation)
 Foliation is a common result, which allows us
to estimate the orientation of 1

1
Strain
ellipsoid

1 > 2 = 3 foliation and no lineation

1 = 2 > 3 lineation and no foliation
1 > 2 > 3 both foliation and lineation
 Metamorphic Agents and Changes
Shear motion occurs along planes at an angle to 1

1
 Metamorphic Agents and Changes
Fluids
Evidence for the existence of a metamorphic fluid:
Fluid inclusions
Fluids are required for hydrous or carbonate
phases
Volatile-involving reactions occur at
temperatures and pressures that require finite
fluid pressures
 Metamorphic Agents and Changes
Pfluid = partial pressures of each component
(Pfluid = pH2O + pCO2 + )
Mole fractions of components must sum to
1.0 (XH2O + XCO2 + = 1.0)
pH2O = XH2O x Pfluid
Gradients in T, P, Xfluid
Zonation in mineral assemblages
Metamorphic fluids dominated by H2O, but CO2 may also be present in rocks with a
significant carbonate
CH4, S, and N2 may be minor components, as well as dissolved species, notably
alkalis and halides
Nature and source of fluids? Are they present at the higher metamorphic grades?
Fluids can be meteoric, juvenile magmatic, subducted material, trapped sedimentary
brines, or degassing of the mantle
The motion of fluids may transport various chemical species over considerable
distances- metasomatism
Gradients in temperature, pressure, and fluid composition across an area are the
norm
As a result, zonation in the mineral assemblages constituting the rocks that
equilibrate spanning these gradients
Along a traverse in an eroded metamorphic area cross from non-metamorphosed
rocks through zones of progressively higher metamorphic grade (or through zones
reflecting metasomatic composition gradients)
 The Types of Metamorphism
Different approaches to classification
1. Based on principal process or agent
Dynamic Metamorphism
Thermal Metamorphism
Dynamo-thermal Metamorphism
 The Types of Metamorphism
Different approaches to classification
2. Based on setting
Contact Metamorphism
Pyrometamorphism
Regional Metamorphism
Orogenic Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism
Ocean Floor Metamorphism
Hydrothermal Metamorphism
Fault-Zone Metamorphism
Impact or Shock Metamorphism
 The Types of Metamorphism
Contact Metamorphism
The size and shape of an aureole is controlled by:
The nature of the pluton
Size Temperature
Shape Composition
Orientation
The nature of the country rocks
Composition
Depth and metamorphic grade prior to intrusion
Permeability
 Contact Metamorphism
Adjacent to igneous intrusions
Thermal ( metasomatic) effects of hot magma
intruding cooler shallow rocks
Occurs over a wide range of pressures, including
very low
Contact aureole
 The Types of Metamorphism
Contact Metamorphism
Most easily recognized where a pluton is introduced into
shallow rocks in a static environment
Hornfelses (granofelses) commonly with relict
textures and structures
 The Types of Metamorphism
Contact Metamorphism
Polymetamorphic rocks are common, usually
representing an orogenic event followed by a
contact one
Spotted phyllite (or slate)
Overprint may be due to:
Lag time for magma migration
A separate phase of post-orogenic collapse
magmatism (Chapter 18)
 The Types of Metamorphism
Pyrometamorphism
Very high temperatures at low pressures,
generated by a volcanic or sub-volcanic body
Also developed in xenoliths
 The Types of Metamorphism
Regional Metamorphism sensu lato: metamorphism
that affects a large body of rock, and thus covers a
great lateral extent
Three principal types:
Orogenic metamorphism

Burial metamorphism
Ocean-floor metamorphism
 The Types of Metamorphism
Orogenic Metamorphism is the type of
metamorphism associated with convergent plate
margins
Dynamo-thermal: one or more episodes of
orogeny with combined elevated geothermal
gradients and deformation (deviatoric stress)
Foliated rocks are a characteristic product
 The Types of Metamorphism
Orogenic
Metamorphism

Figure 21.6. Schematic model for

the sequential (a c) development
of a Cordilleran-type or active
continental margin orogen. The
dashed and black layers on the
right represent the basaltic and
gabbroic layers of the oceanic
crust. From Dewey and Bird (1970)
J. Geophys. Res., 75, 2625-2647;
and Miyashiro et al. (1979)
Orogeny. John Wiley & Sons.
 The Types of Metamorphism
Orogenic Metamorphism
 The Types of Metamorphism
Orogenic Metamorphism
Uplift and erosion
Metamorphism often continues after major
deformation ceases
Metamorphic pattern is simpler than the

structural one
Pattern of increasing metamorphic grade from
both directions toward the core area

From Understanding
Earth, Press and Siever.
Freeman.
 The Types of Metamorphism
Orogenic Metamorphism
Polymetamorphic patterns
Continental collision
Batholiths are usually present in the highest grade areas
If plentiful and closely spaced, may be called regional
contact metamorphism
 The Types of Metamorphism
Burial metamorphism
Southland Syncline in New Zealand: thick pile (> 10 km)
of Mesozoic volcaniclastics
Mild deformation, no igneous intrusions discovered
Fine-grained, high-temperature phases, glassy ash: very
susceptible to metamorphic alteration
Metamorphic effects attributed to increased temperature
and pressure due to burial
Diagenesis grades into the formation of zeolites, prehnite,
pumpellyite, laumontite, etc.
 The Types of Metamorphism
Hydrothermal metamorphism
Hot H2O-rich fluids
Usually involves metasomatism
Difficult type to constrain: hydrothermal effects
often play some role in most of the other types of
metamorphism
 The Types of Metamorphism
Burial metamorphism occurs in areas that have not
experienced significant deformation or orogeny
Restricted to large, relatively undisturbed
sedimentary piles away from active plate margins
The Gulf of Mexico?
Bengal Fan?
 The Types of Metamorphism
Burial metamorphism occurs in areas that have not
experienced significant deformation or orogeny
Bengal Fan sedimentary pile > 22 km
Extrap. 250-300oC at the base (P ~ 0.6 GPa)
Passive margins often become active
Areas of burial metamorphism may thus become
areas of orogenic metamorphism
 The Types of Metamorphism
Ocean-Floor Metamorphism affects the oceanic
crust at ocean ridge spreading centers
Considerable metasomatic alteration, notably loss
of Ca and Si and gain of Mg and Na
Highly altered chlorite-quartz rocks- distinctive
high-Mg, low-Ca composition
Exchange between basalt and hot seawater
Another example of hydrothermal metamorphism
 The Types of Metamorphism
Fault-Zone and Impact Metamorphism
High rates of deformation and strain with only

minor recrystallization
Impact metamorphism at meteorite (or other

bolide) impact craters

Both correlate with dynamic metamorphism,

based on process
(a) Shallow fault
zone with fault
breccia
(b) Slightly deeper
fault zone (exposed
by erosion) with
some ductile flow
and fault mylonite

Figure 21.7. Schematic cross section

across fault zones. After Mason
(1978) Petrology of the
Metamorphic Rocks. George Allen
& Unwin. London.
 Prograde Metamorphism
Prograde: increase in metamorphic grade with time
as a rock is subjected to gradually more severe
conditions
Prograde metamorphism: changes in a rock that

accompany increasing metamorphic grade

Retrograde: decreasing grade as rock cools and
recovers from a metamorphic or igneous event

Retrograde metamorphism: any accompanying
changes
 The Progressive Nature of Metamorphism

A rock at a high metamorphic grade probably

progressed through a sequence of mineral
assemblages rather than hopping directly from an
unmetamorphosed rock to the metamorphic rock
that we find today
 The Progressive Nature of Metamorphism
Retrograde metamorphism typically of minor
significance
Prograde reactions are endothermic and easily
driven by increasing T
Devolatilization reactions are easier than
reintroducing the volatiles
Geothermometry indicates that the mineral
compositions commonly preserve the maximum
temperature
Isograd is a surface across the rock sequence, represented by a
line on a map, defined by the appearance or disappearance of a
mineral, a specific mineral composition or a mineral association,
produced as a result of a specific reaction, for example, the
staurolite-in isograd defined by the reaction:
garnet+chlorite+muscovite=staurolite+biotite+quartz+H2O.
Isograds represent mineral reactions not rock chemical
composition.
Metamorphic facies
The concept of metamorphic facies was first proposed by Eskola
(1915) who later gave the following definition: A metamorphic
facies is "a group of rocks characterised by a definite set of
minerals which, under the conditions obtaining during their
formation, were at perfect equilibrium with each other. The
quantitative and qualitative mineral composition in the rocks of
a given facies varies gradually in correspondence with variation
in the chemical bulk composition of the rocks".
The Subcommission proposes the following definition of facies,
which follows Eskola's writings and the commentaries of other
workers."A metamorphic facies is a set of metamorphic mineral
assemblages, repeatedly associated in time and space and
showing a regular relationship between mineral composition and
bulk chemical composition, such that different metamorphic facies
(sets of mineral assemblages) appear to be related to different
metamorphic conditions, in particular temperature and pressure,
although other variables, such as PH2O may also be important."
Eskola distinguished eight facies, namely: greenschist facies (f.),
epidote-amphibolite f., amphibolite f., pyroxene-hornfels f.,
sanidinite f., granulite f., glaucophane-schist f. and eclogite
facies. Coombs et al. (1959), building on a suggestion of
Eskola's, added a zeolite facies and a prehnite-pumpellyite zone.
More recently various authors have recognised distinctions in
the assemblages containing prehnite and pumpellyite, and
erected three facies or subfacies based on the assemblages
prehnite-pumpellyite, prehnite-actinolite and pumpellyite-
actinolite. These facies or subfacies, involving prehnite and
pumpellyite, may be collectively referred to as the
subgreenschist facies.
P-T diagram showing various metamorphic facies and several geothermal
gradients
1) Geothermal gradient in contact zones
2)-3) Average geothermal gradient of the continental crust
4) Geothermal gradient in subduction zones.
Facies boundaries are defined by the appearance or
disappearance of a mineral or group of minerals, and not a
specific P and T. The boundaries betweeen the different facies are
therefore transitional in many cases, as the compositions of the
minerals and/or fluids in question vary due to bulk rock chemical
control (and other factors as well). Such variations in turn affect
the P-T location of the boundary reactions.
- Minerals of the paragenesis should have formed at the same
time during one metamorphic event.
- Rocks of an individual facies form in the same range of P and T.
- The mineral assemblages, though restricted to specific rock
compositions, are not restricted to any areas, and should occur
repeatedly in space and time (i.e. should be widely distributed).
(1) Zeolite facies: (150-250C; P < 3 or 4 kbar)
- defined by the occurrence of zeolites
- developed in mafic igneous rocks, but not identifiable in
metapelites
(2) The Subgreenschist facies:

(a) Prehnite-pumpellyite facies:

- prehnite and pumpellyite in metabasites.
- best developed in mafic rocks (metabasites) metamorphosed at
T of 200-300C
- equivalent metasediments : low anchizone defined by the
occurrence of illite, chlorite, smectite).

(b) Pumpellyite-Actinolite facies:

- Pumpellyite + Actinolite in mafic rocks
(3) Blueschist facies:

(a) Lawsonite-albite subfacies/Lawsonite blueschist subfacies:

- Lawsonite + albite + Chlorite Pumpellyite or Actinolite or
Glaucophane
- Metasediments: Carpholite + Chlorite or phengite + Paragonite
(b) Epidote-blueschist subfacies:
- Glaucophane + Epidotes + Garnet/Chlorite + Phengite
Actinolite in metabasites
- metasediments: Chloritoid + Paragonite + Chlorite + Phengite
- Characterized by the lack of biotite in metasediments and
metabasites (phengite instead of Bt).
(4) Eclogite facies:

- Garnet + Omphacite, no Albite, no Lawsonite (epidote or grossular

garnet are the stable Ca Al silicates)
- metasediments: Talc + Kyanite + Phengite
Eclogites can be subdivided into three groups:

Type A: Eclogites that form in the mantle and are brought up to the
surface with kimberlites in diatremes. Garnets in these eclogites are
rich in pyrope.
Type B: Eclogites that form in the lower crust and are associated
with gneiss terrains (granulites and high grade amphibolites).
Garnets in this group are rich in grossular and almandine.
Type C: Eclogites that form at relatively low temperatures in what
are now known as subduction zones. These eclogites contain
almandine rich garnet and are associated with blueschists.
(5) Greenschist facies:
- Actinolite + Chlorite + Albite Epidote in metabasites
- metasediments: Chlorite + Albite + Biotite + Muscovite
Andalusite/Kyanite (Chloritoid also possible depending on rock
composition)
(6) Epidote amphibolite facies:
- Epidote + Amphibole (Actinolite/Hornblende) + Plagioclase
Chlorite/Garnet in mafic rocks.
- Biotite + Garnet (Almandine) + Plagioclase) + Chlorite + Muscovite
(Chloritoid Ctd also possible) in metasediments.
(7) Amphibolite facies:
- Amphibole (Hornblende) + Plagioclase (Andesine) Garnet
Epidote Diopside
- metapelites: Garnet + Staurolite + Muscovite + Biotite
Andalusite/Kyanite/Sillimanite.

(8) Granulite facies:

- Plagioclase + Hypersthene + Diopside + Garnet + Spinel
- metapelites: Perthite + Plagioclase + Sillimanite + Garnet
Hypersthene. Cordierite + Garnet are characteristic of low P
granulites.
(9) Sanidinite facies:
- Plagioclase + Hypersthene + Augite + Tridymite in mafic
rocks
- Sanidine + Cordierite + Spinel + Hypersthene + Sillimanite
in metapelites
 Types of Protolith
Lump the common types of sedimentary and igneous
rocks into six chemically based-groups
1. Ultramafic - very high Mg, Fe, Ni, Cr
2. Mafic - high Fe, Mg, and Ca
3. Shales (pelitic) - high Al, K, Si
4. Carbonates - high Ca, Mg, CO2
5. Quartz - nearly pure SiO2.
6. Quartzo-feldspathic - high Si, Na, K, Al
Figure 21.8. Regional
metamorphic map of the
Scottish Highlands, showing
the zones of minerals that
develop with increasing
metamorphic grade. From
Gillen (1982) Metamorphic
Geology. An Introduction to
Tectonic and Metamorphic
Processes. George Allen &
Unwin. London.
Regional Burial Metamorphism
Figure 21.11. Metamorphic zones of the Haast
Group (along section X-Y in Figure 21-10). After
Cooper and Lovering (1970) Contrib. Mineral.
Petrol., 27, 11-24.
 Paired Metamorphic Belts of Japan

Figure 21.12. The Sanbagawa and Ryoke

metamorphic belts of Japan. From Turner
(1981) Metamorphic Petrology:
Mineralogical, Field, and Tectonic Aspects.
McGraw-Hill and Miyashiro (1994)
Metamorphic Petrology. Oxford University
Press.
Paired Metamorphic Belts of Japan
Figure 21.13. Some of the
paired metamorphic belts
in the circum-Pacific
region. From Miyashiro
(1994) Metamorphic
Petrology. Oxford
University Press.
 Contact Metamorphism of Pelitic Rocks
in the Skiddaw Aureole, UK
The aureole around the Skiddaw granite was sub-
divided into three zones, principally on the basis of
textures:
Unaltered slates
Increasing Outer zone of spotted slates
Metamorphic
Grade Middle zone of andalusite slates
Inner zone of hornfels
Contact
Skiddaw granite
Figure 21.14. Geologic
Map and cross-section of
the area around the
Skiddaw granite, Lake
District, UK. After
Eastwood et al (1968).
Geology of the Country
around Cockermouth and
Caldbeck. Explanation
accompanying the 1-inch
Geological Sheet 23, New
Series. Institute of
Geological Sciences.
London.
 Contact Metamorphism and Skarn
Formation at Crestmore, CA, USA
An idealized cross-section through the aureole

Figure 21.17.
Idealized N-S cross
section (not to scale)
through the quartz
monzonite and the
aureole at Crestmore,
CA. From Burnham
(1959) Geol. Soc.
Amer. Bull., 70, 879-
920.
 Metamorphic rocks are classified on the basis of
texture and composition (either mineralogical or
chemical)
Unlike igneous rocks, which have been plagued
by a proliferation of local and specific names,
metamorphic rock names are surprisingly simple
and flexible
May choose some prefix-type modifiers to attach
to names if care to stress some important or
unusual textural or mineralogical aspects
 Foliation: and planar fabric element
Lineation: any linear fabric elements
They have no genetic connotations
Some high-strain rocks may be
foliated, but they are treated
separately
Cleavage
Traditionally: the property of a rock to split along a
regular set of sub-parallel, closely-spaced planes
A more general concept adopted by some geologists
is to consider cleavage to be any type of foliation in
which the aligned platy phyllosilicates are too fine
grained to see individually with the unaided eye
Schistosity
A preferred orientation of inequaint mineral grains or
grain aggregates produced by metamorphic
processes
Aligned minerals are coarse grained enough to see
with the unaided eye
The orientation is generally planar, but linear
orientations are not excluded
Gneissosestructure
Either a poorly-developed schistosity or segregated
into layers by metamorphic processes
Gneissose rocks are generally coarse grained
Slate: compact, very fine-
grained, metamorphic rock
with a well-developed
cleavage. Freshly cleaved
surfaces are dull
a: Slate
Phyllite: a rock with a
schistosity in which very fine
phyllosilicates
(sericite/phengite and/or
chlorite), although rarely b: Phyllite
coarse enough to see unaided,
impart a silky sheen to the
foliation surface. Phyllites
with both a foliation and
lineation are very common.

Figure 22.1. Examples of foliated metamorphic rocks. a. Slate. b. Phyllite. Note the difference in reflectance on the foliation surfaces
between a and b: phyllite is characterized by a satiny sheen. Winter (2001) An Introduction to Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology. Prentice
Hall.
Schist: a metamorphic rock
exhibiting a schistosity. By
this definition schist is a
broad term, and slates and
phyllites are also types of
schists. In common usage,
schists are restricted to those
metamorphic rocks in which
the foliated minerals are
coarse enough to see easily in
hand specimen.

Figure 22.1c. Garnet muscovite schist. Muscovite crystals are visible and silvery, garnets occur as large dark porphyroblasts. Winter (2001)
An Introduction to Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology. Prentice Hall.
Gneiss: a metamorphic rock
displaying gneissose
structure. Gneisses are
typically layered (also called
banded), generally with
alternating felsic and darker
mineral layers. Gneisses may
also be lineated, but must
also show segregations of
felsic-mineral-rich and dark-
mineral-rich concentrations.

Figure 22.1d. Quartzo-feldspathic gneiss with obvious layering. Winter (2001) An Introduction to Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology.
Prentice Hall.
Simpler than for foliated rocks
Again, this discussion and classification applies
only to rocks that are not produced by high-
strain metamorphism
Granofels: a comprehensive term for any isotropic
rock (a rock with no preferred orientation)
Hornfels is a type of granofels that is typically very
fine-grained and compact, and occurs in contact
aureoles. Hornfelses are tough, and tend to
splinter when broken.
Marble: a metamorphic rock composed
predominantly of calcite or dolomite. The
protolith is typically limestone or dolostone.
Quartzite: a metamorphic rock composed
predominantly of quartz. The protolith is
typically sandstone. Some confusion may result
from the use of this term in sedimentary
petrology for a pure quartz sandstone.
 Specific Metamorphic Rock Types
Greenschist/Greenstone: a low-grade
metamorphic rock that typically contains
chlorite, actinolite, epidote, and albite. Note
that the first three minerals are green, which
imparts the color to the rock. Such a rock is
called greenschist if foliated, and greenstone if
not. The protolith is either a mafic igneous rock
or graywacke.
Amphibolite: a metamorphic rock dominated by
hornblende + plagioclase. Amphibolites may be
foliated or non-foliated. The protolith is either a
mafic igneous rock or graywacke.
Serpentinite: an ultramafic rock metamorphosed
at low grade, so that it contains mostly
serpentine.
Blueschist: a blue amphibole-bearing
metamorphosed mafic igneous rock or mafic
graywacke. This term is so commonly applied to
such rocks that it is even applied to non-
schistose rocks.
Eclogite: a green and red metamorphic rock that
contains clinopyroxene and garnet (omphacite +
pyrope). The protolith is typically basaltic.
Additional Modifying Terms:
Ortho- a prefix indicating an igneous parent, and
Para- a prefix indicating a sedimentary parent
The terms are used only when they serve to
dissipate doubt. For example, many quartzo-
feldspathic gneisses could easily be derived
from either an impure arkose or a granitoid
rock. If some mineralogical, chemical, or field-
derived clue permits the distinction, terms
such as orthogneiss, paragneiss, or
orthoamphibolite may be useful.
Skarn: a contact metamorphosed and silica
metasomatized carbonate rock containing calc-
silicate minerals, such as grossular, epidote,
tremolite, vesuvianite, etc. Tactite is a synonym.
Granulite: a high grade rock of pelitic, mafic, or
quartzo-feldspathic parentage that is
predominantly composed of OH-free minerals.
Muscovite is absent and plagioclase and
orthopyroxene are common.
Migmatite: a composite silicate rock that is
heterogeneous on the 1-10 cm scale, commonly
having a dark gneissic matrix (melanosome) and
lighter felsic portions (leucosome). Migmatites
may appear layered, or the leucosomes may
occur as pods or form a network of cross-cutting
veins.
Additional Modifying Terms:
Porphyroblastic means that a metamorphic rock
has one or more metamorphic minerals that
grew much larger than the others. Each
individual crystal is a porphyroblast
Some porphyroblasts, particularly in low-grade
contact metamorphism, occur as ovoid spots
If such spots occur in a hornfels or a phyllite (typically
as a contact metamorphic overprint over a regionally
developed phyllite), the terms spotted hornfels, or
spotted phyllite would be appropriate.
Figure 23.14b. Spotted Phyllite. Winter (2001) An Introduction to Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology. Prentice Hall.
Additional Modifying Terms:
Some gneisses have large eye-shaped grains
(commonly feldspar) that are derived from pre-
existing large crystals by shear (as described in
Section 23.1). Individual grains of this sort are
called auge (German for eye), and the (German)
plural is augen. An augen gneiss is a gneiss with
augen structure (Fig. 23-18).
Figure 23.18. Augen Gneiss. Winter (2010) An Introduction to Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology. Prentice Hall.
Additional Modifying Terms:
Other modifying terms that we may want to add
as a means of emphasizing some aspect of a
rock may concern such features as grain-size,
color, chemical aspects, (aluminous, calcareous,
mafic, felsic, etc.). As a general rule we use
these when the aspect is unusual. Obviously a
calcareous marble or mafic greenschist is
redundant, as is a fine grained slate.
Additional Modifying Terms:
Ortho- a prefix indicating an igneous parent, and
Para- a prefix indicating a sedimentary parent
The terms are used only when they serve to
dissipate doubt. For example, many quartzo-
feldspathic gneisses could easily be derived
from either an impure arkose or a granitoid
rock. If some mineralogical, chemical, or field-
derived clue permits the distinction, terms
such as orthogneiss, paragneiss, or
orthoamphibolite may be useful.
.

Facies, Protolith and

Mineral assemblage
for different protolith
Figure 22.4. Shatter cones in limestone from the Haughton Structure, Northwest Territories. Photograph courtesy Richard Grieve, Natural
Resources Canada.