www.ck12.org Chapter 1.

Earth’s Materials and Crust

1.14 Metamorphic Rock Classification

• List and describe common metamorphic rocks.

What’s the difference in these two rocks?

The rock on the left was the sedimentary rock shale. Now it’s the metamorphic rock slate. Slate looks very similar
to shale, but harder and more platy. The rock on the right is gneiss. The light and dark minerals have separated into
bands. Gneiss is produced by higher temperature metamorphism. The original rock was different in both cases.

Common Metamorphic Rocks

Some of the most common metamorphic rocks are listed below ( Table 1.8). Their parent rock and the type of
metamorphism are also mentioned.
The table shows some common metamorphic rocks and their original parent rock.

TABLE 1.8: Common Metamorphic Rocks

Picture Rock Name Type of Metamorphic Comments
Rock
Slate Foliated Metamorphism of shale

Phyllite Foliated Metamorphism of slate,

but under greater heat and
pressure than slate

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TABLE 1.8: (continued)

Picture Rock Name Type of Metamorphic Comments
Rock
Schist Foliated Often derived from meta-
morphism of claystone
or shale; metamorphosed
under more heat and pres-
sure than phyllite

Gneiss Foliated Metamorphism of various

different rocks, under ex-
treme conditions of heat
and pressure

Hornfels Non-foliated Contact metamorphism

of various different rock
types

Quartzite Non-foliated Metamorphism of quartz

sandstone

Marble Non-foliated Metamorphism of lime-

stone

Metaconglomerate Non-foliated Metamorphism of con-

glomerate

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Summary

• Foliated metamorphic rocks are platy.

• Non-foliated metamorphic rocks are massive.
• The more extreme the amount of metamorphism, the more difficult it is to tell what the original rock was.
• Marble is metamorphosed limestone.

Explore More

Use the resource below to answer the questions that follow.

• Metamorphic Rocks at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRUwchlza88 (8:57)

MEDIA
Click image to the left for use the URL below.
URL: http://gamma.ck12.org/flx/render/embeddedobject/1613

1. How are metamorphic rocks classified?

2. How do metamorphic rocks form?
3. What is recrystallization?
4. Why are these rocks the most dense?
5. Where do metamorphic rocks form?
6. Where does regional metamorphism occur?
7. What is a foliated rock?
8. What does shale become when heated and put under pressure?
9. What is schist?
10. Describe gneiss.
11. What is the evidence for regional metamorphosis?
12. What is contact metamorphism?
13. Where does contact metamorphism occur?
14. Describe non-foliated rocks.
15. Why is hornfels unique?

Explore More Answers

1. by texture, the mineral crystals can be foliated or nonfoliated

2. Heat and pressure alter the rock enough to change it but not melt it.
3. Recrystallization occurs when minerals in a rock organize based on their density.
4. Pressure squeezes the rock so the molecules become closer together.
5. Metamorphic rocks form at convergent plate boundaries, particularly continent-continent, where mountain
ranges rise.
6. Regional metamorphism is at continent-continent convergent plate boundaries.
7. Foliated rocks have minerals that align to create bands due to pressure.
8. Shale as it metamorphoses gets more mineral alignment; it goes to slate, phyllite, schist and then gneiss.
9. Schist is metamorphosed shale in which micas start to align and the foliation is visible without a microscope.

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1.14. Metamorphic Rock Classification www.ck12.org

10. Gneiss has foliation so that the minerals make bands that are very visible.
11. Regional metamorphism is marked by deformation: Folding, faulting and tilting, plus the increase in foliation
in the rock types.
12. Contact metamorphism occurs when rock is in contact with magma. The rock bakes and minerals alter.
13. When there is no pressure the minerals don’t align and the rock is non-foliated. These rocks tend to be
monomineralic.
14. Hornfels reflects the amount of metamorphism, but can occur in many different rock types.

Review

1. What does a foliated metamorphic rock look like?

2. How do slate, phyllite, and schist differ from each other? How are they the same?
3. What is quartzite?

Review Answers

1. A foliated metamorphic rock is banded, with minerals showing alignment.

2. Slate, phyllite and schist are hard rocks; they increase in metamorphism so they are more foliated and in some
samples crystals are larger in schist than slate.
3. Metamorphosed quartz sandstone, non-foliated

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