Lesson 12.

Factors Controlling
Metamorphism
Do You Want to Edit this Presentation?

Make a copy and edit Download an offline

in Google Slides. copy and edit in
1. On the menu bar, click File and
Microsoft PowerPoint.
then Make a copy and Entire
1. On the menu bar, click File and
Presentation.
then Download as.
2. Type a name for the file.
Do you want to edit this presentation?
3. Choose where to save it on your
Google Drive.
2. Choose a file type. Select
Microsoft PowerPoint (.pptx).
3. Wait for the file to be
4. Click Ok.
downloaded to your local disk.
5. A new tab will open. Wait for
4. Once completely downloaded,
the file to be completely loaded
open the file and edit it using
on a new tab.
Microsoft PowerPoint or any
6. Once the file has loaded, edit
offline presentation program.
this presentation using Google
Slides.
 Learning Competency

At the end of this lesson, the given enrichment competency

should be met by the students.

Describe the physical and chemical changes in rocks

due to changes in pressure and temperature
(metamorphism).
 Learning Objectives

At the end of this lesson, the learner should be able to

do the following:

● Explain how heat changes rocks.

● Describe how rocks behave under different types of
stress.
● Explain how chemically active fluids affect rocks.

● Explain how a rock takes a long time to undergo

metamorphosis.
Rocks do not just undergo
metamorphism randomly. Most
rocks that change are usually
underground, and their degree
of change may vary, depending
on certain factors.

What controls the change in

rocks?
 Try it!
Warm-Up

Chocolate Marshmallow
Procedure
1. Each student must have one marshmallow and chocolate.

2. Cut the top of the marshmallow and then place the chocolate
on top of the marshmallow.

3. Hold the spoon with your thumb inside the curved part. Press
down on the chocolate, while it is on top of the marshmallow.
 Learn about It

Temperature
● It is affected by heat
or thermal energy
which triggers the
chemical reaction to
the rock, which can
come from two
sources: Igneous
intrusions and Earth’s Thermometer is used to measure the
geothermal gradient. degree of hotness and coldness of an object.
 Learn about It

Temperature
● Two sources of thermal energy
○ Intrusive bodies or plutons alter the texture and
mineralogy of surrounding rocks to form metamorphic
rocks
○ The geothermal gradient of Earth is the rate of
increase in temperature with increasing depth from the
Earth’s surface.
 Learn about It

Pressure
● Pressure increases with depth and can be classified into
two types: uniform and differential stress.

● When minerals with spaces in their lattices are subjected

to high amounts of pressure, the minerals collapse
forming much denser crystals.
 Learn about It

Pressure
● Uniform stress or
hydrostatic stress
refers to pressure with
equal amounts of force
coming from all
directions.
Confining pressure works by squeezing
rocks together, decreasing their volume.
 Learn about It

Pressure
● Differential stress refers to
the pressure that is unequal
in different directions.
○ Normal stress compresses
objects from two opposing
directions.
○ Shear stress smears
objects in the direction of Differential stress in a convergent
the stress. boundary causes rocks to deform.
 Learn about It

Chemically active fluids

● It enhances chemical reactions that alter the composition of
rocks.

● Metasomatism is the change in the composition of a rock

due to the addition or removal of substances or elements.
 Learn about It

Time
● Metamorphism is a slow process that involves several
processes.

● These processes are slow since metamorphic rock is formed

with the protolith rock remaining in solid form.

● Metamorphic rocks that contain large crystals need time to

form, on a scale of tens of millions of years.
 Key Points

● The process of metamorphism is controlled by four factors:

temperature, pressure, chemically active fluids, and time.

● Heat or thermal energy produced by an increase in temperature

triggers chemical reactions which can cause recrystallization and/or
neocrystallization.

● When minerals with spaces in their lattices are subjected to high

amounts of pressure, the minerals collapse forming much denser
crystals.
 Key Points

● Chemical active fluid enhances chemical reactions which alter the

composition of rocks.

● Metamorphism is a slow process that involves several other processes.

 Check Your Understanding

Write true if the statement is correct, and write

false if otherwise.
1. Metamorphism is a slow process.
2. Heat is absorbed by intrusive bodies from rocks.
3. Fluids only increase the size of rocks, but cannot alter the
chemical composition of minerals.
4. Rocks at higher temperatures and pressures crack easily.
5. Uniform stress increases the volume of rocks.
 Bibliography
Appalachian State University. “Classification of Metamorphic Rocks.” Accessed March 3, 2017.
http://www.appstate.edu/~abbottrn/rck-id/mtmchrt.html

Dictionary of Geology and Earth Science. 2013. Oxford University Press.

Marshak, Steve. 2015. Earth: Portrait of a Planet. 5th Edition. W.W. Norton & Company.Accessed March 3, 2017.
http://www3.nd.edu/~cneal/PlanetEarth/Chapt-8-Marshak.pdf

Nelson, Stephen A. 2015. Metamorphism and Metamorphic Rocks. Tulane University. Last Updated September
17, 2015. Accessed March 2, 2017. https://www.tulane.edu/~sanelson/eens1110/metamorphic.pdf

Tarbuck, Edward J. and Lutgens, Frederick K. 2015. Earth Science. 14th edition. Pearson Education Inc. USA.

Tauxe, Lisa. “The Rock Cycle.” University of California, San Diego. Accessed May 7, 2018.