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GEOLOGICAL SETTINGS AND

METAMORPHISM.
CONTENTS
METAMORPHISM
• Metamorphism is the change of minerals or geologic texture in pre-
existing rocks without the protolith melting into liquid magma.
• In simple words, metamorphism means change. Change of minerals or
texture in pre-existing rocks.
• The change occurs primarily due to heat, pressure, and the
introduction of chemically active fluids.
• Metamorphism typically occurs between diagenesis (max. 200°C)
and melting (~850°C).
TYPES OF METAMORPHISM

Three kinds of metamorphism exist: contact, dynamic and regional.


• Regional or Barrovian metamorphism covers large areas of continental
crust typically associated with mountain ranges.
• Contact metamorphism is a result of the temperature increase caused
by the intrusion of magma into cooler country rock.
• Dynamic metamorphism is associated with zones of high to moderate
strain such as fault zones.
PLATE TECTONICS
• Plate tectonics is a scientific theory that describes the large-scale
motions of earth's lithosphere.
• Plate tectonics is the theory that Earth's outer shell is divided into
several plates that glide over the mantle, the rocky inner layer above
the core. The plates act like a hard and rigid shell compared to Earth's
mantle.
• The model builds on the concepts of continental drift, developed
during the first few decades of the 20th century.
• Tectonic plates are composed of oceanic lithosphere and thicker
continental lithosphere, each topped by its own kind of crust.
TYPES OF PLATE BOUNDARIES

Three types of plate margins:


• Divergent Plate Boundary
• Convergent Plate Boundary
• Passive or transform Plate Boundary
• Divergent plate margins are those where two plates move horizontally
away from one another.
• Convergent plate margins are those where two plates of varying
densities move toward each other. The denser plate descends beneath
the lighter plate.
• Passive or Transform plate margins are also known as shear margins.
Two plates slide past each other horizontally.
METAMORPHIC FACIES
DIVERGENT PLATE BOUNDARIES
• Divergent boundaries are characterized by a rift in the surface of the
earth along the midocean ridges.
• The ridges are composed of volcanic mountains that erupt basalt onto
the surface of the ocean and by that process create new oceanic crust.
• In this plate margin chemical action of fluids is the major agent of
change causing metamorphism.
• Seawater circulates through the cracks in the hot volcanic rocks, it is
heated to 400° to 450°C.
• This hydrothermal water attempts to equilibrate with the crust and
reacts with unstable olivine, pyroxene, and plagioclase to form new
minerals.
• These new minerals are epidote, sodium-rich plagioclase, talc, and
serpentine—typical of greenschist facies metamorphism.
• The metamorphic rock is called metabasalt.
An idealized cross section of a midocean ridge
ADD MORE FROM YOURSELF. DON’T GIVE
MUCH IMPORTANCE ON STRUCTURE.
FOCUS ON THE METAMORPHISM THAT
TAKES PLACE IN THIS TYPE OF BOUNDARY

• https://www.msnucleus.org/membership/html/jh/earth/metamorphic/lesson1/meta
morphic1e.html
CONVERGENT PLATE BOUNDARY

• Convergent plate boundaries are locations where lithospheric plates


are moving towards one another.
• Most metamorphic rocks in the continents were created at convergent
plate boundaries.
• Near trenches along continental margins the rock types include
melange, ophiolites and blueschists.
Fig : Ophiolites
• In the deeper roots of this
magmatic belt foliated slates,
schists andgneisses are produced.
• In the deeper parts of a mountain
belt, metamorphism can become
intense enough to produce
migmatites
• At subduction zones, two distinctive
types of metamorphic rocks are
juxtaposed to create paired
metamorphic belts.
• The pair consists of an outer and an
inner belt.
ADD MORE FROM YOURSELF. DON’T GIVE
MUCH IMPORTANCE ON STRUCTURE.
FOCUS ON THE METAMORPHISM THAT
TAKES PLACE IN THIS TYPE OF BOUNDARY
TRANSFORM PLATE BOUNDARY
METAMORPHISM AT TRANSFORM PLATE BOUNDARY
• The most characteristic type of metamorphism that occurs at transform plate
boundaries is caused by the horizontal shearing motion.
• It is called Fault zone Metamorphism
FAULT ZONE METAMORPHISM
• Also called as Dynamic metamorphism.
• Breakage of rock by shearing at fault zone.
• Fault location determines type of alteration
 Shallow crust- Upper 10-15km
 Rocks behave in a brittle fashion
 Forming Fault Breccia

 Deeper crust- Below 10- 15 km


 Rocks behave in ductile manner
 Forming Mylonite
AT SHALLOW CRUST

 If the strain rate is very high and temperature is low enough,


minerals may be broken, bent or crushed without much
accompanying recrystallization. This process is known as
Cataclasis.
 Rocks behaves in a brittle fashion
 Products- Fault breccia and Fault gauge
AT DEEPER CRUST

• Rocks behaves in a ductile fashion.


• Cataclasis + Recrystallization
• Product- Mylonite ( Fine grained foliated flint like rock)
• Under a particular set of P-T stress conditions, different minerals
respond to strain in different ways. e.g. quartz may deform in brittle
fashion and calcite in ductile fashion.
Fig- Mylonite

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