gneiss
Layered metamorphic stone
Gneiss is a coarse-grained metamorphic rock with distinctive banded layers of light and dark minerals.
It forms deep in the Earth's crust under intense heat and pressure, often from granite or sedimentary rocks.
The bands give gneiss a striped appearance that distinguishes it from granite: The hiking trail cut through exposed gneiss.
Having contrasting bands
- layeredHaving multiple levels
- foliatedLayered like pages
- veinedMarked with linear channels
- alternatingOccurring in turns
banded · streaked · laminated · interlaced · textured · light-dark · segregation · compositional
Of or like granite
- biotiteIron-rich layered silicate
- hornblendeCalcium-iron amphibole mineral
- amphiboliteMetamorphosed mafic rock
- bandedHaving encircling marks
garnet · kyanite · cordierite
Silicate mineral group
- quartzCrystalline silicon dioxide
- micaLayered silicate mineral
- biotiteIron-rich layered silicate
- hornblendeCalcium-iron amphibole mineral
garnet · silicate · mineral · crystal · kyanite · muscovite · pyroxene · magnetite
Heat-pressure mineral alteration
- pressureForce upon contact
- heatTransferred thermal energy
- recrystallizationPurification through dissolving and reforming
- regionalRelating to an area
high-grade · foliation · granite · sedimentary · deformation · tectonics · subduction · orogeny
striped
Having contrasting bands
alternating · banded · streaked · laminated · interlaced · textured · light-dark · segregation · compositional · ribbon
granitic
Of or like granite
- biotiteIron-rich layered silicate
- hornblendeCalcium-iron amphibole mineral
- amphiboliteMetamorphosed mafic rock
banded · garnet · kyanite · cordierite
feldspar
Silicate mineral group
hornblende · garnet · silicate · mineral · crystal · kyanite · muscovite · pyroxene · magnetite · zircon
metamorphism
Heat-pressure mineral alteration
- pressureForce upon contact
- heatTransferred thermal energy
- recrystallizationPurification through dissolving and reforming
regional · high-grade · foliation · granite · sedimentary · deformation · tectonics · subduction · orogeny · prograde
hardy
Able to endure difficulty
strong · resistant · dense · hard · weathering · countertop · crushed · aggregate · paving · construction
gneissgranite
Igneous rock, quartz-rich
igneous rock · basalt · sedimentary rock · volcanic rock · magma