EARTH121 Chapter Notes - Chapter 7: Hornfels, Amphibole, Convergent Boundary
2 Sep 2016
School
Department
Course
Professor
Document Summary
Metamorphism involves physical and chemical processes that affects existing rock through changes in pressure, the flow of fluids deep below earth"s surface, or a combination. Occurs under extreme conditions, and almost always deep below the surface of the earth. Metamorphism changes that take place when a rock is subjected to temperatures or pressure markedly different from those which it originally formed. Physical and chemical characteristics of the rock change in order to establish equilibrium with the new temperature/pressure conditions it encounters. Type and degree of change from parent to daughter rock depends on type and intensity of processes. Overall chemical composition of a metamorphic rock largely reflects the parent rock, but texture and specific mineral makeup of the rock depend on the physical processes involved in the transformation. Chemical composition inherited from parents; only in extreme cases of element loss or gain due to fluid migration does a metamorphic rock become substantially different from the parent.
