metamorphic rock
Pressure-changed stone
Metamorphic rock is one of the three main rock types, formed when existing rock is transformed by intense heat, pressure, or chemical processes deep within the Earth's crust.
Unlike igneous rock (formed from molten material) or sedimentary rock (formed from accumulated deposits), metamorphic rock retains its solid state during transformation while its minerals recrystallize into new structures.
Common examples include marble, which forms from limestone, and slate, which forms from shale.
- schistPlaty-mineral metamorphic rock
- gneissFoliated metamorphic rock
- recrystallizationPurification through dissolving and reforming
- crystal growthSolid lattice formation process
- foliationLeaf formation process
marble · quartzite · amphibolite · mica · slate · ornamental stone · high pressure · high temperature · pressure · feldspar · mountain · mountain building · tectonic · plate tectonics · banding · crust · veins · transformation
- geologybedrock, fault lines, faults, basalt, mineral
- rocksbasalt, granite, sandstone, marble, shale
- American geologyGrand Canyon, Yellowstone, Rocky Mountains, Appalachians, Sierra Nevada
- geology termsfossils, schist, core sample, gneiss, strata
- British geologychalk, flint, limestone, shale, sandstone
- Canadian Shieldboreal forest, glacial lakes, Hudson Bay, Lake Superior, gneiss
rock, rocks, metamorphosis, metamorphose, morphology, metamorphic, metamorphosed, metamorphism, metamorphosing