Author Question: Which four factors determine the mineral content and texture of a metamorphic rock? What will be ... (Read 63 times)

K@ · **on:** Jul 16, 2018

Which four factors determine the mineral content and texture of a metamorphic rock?

What will be an ideal response?

Question 2

What features can you observe in a rock sample or outcrop that would permit you to recognize a rock as being metamorphic, rather than igneous or sedimentary?

What will be an ideal response?

ErinKing · **Reply #1 on:** Jul 16, 2018

Answer to Question 1

Original rock composition, temperature, pressure, abundance and composition of fluid.

Answer to Question 2

Metamorphic rocks may have subtle layering, but not the obvious signs of bedding common in sedimentary rocks. This subtle layering is foliation, the preferential orientation of minerals, reshaping of minerals, or alternating bands of different minerals that result from the response to stress. For non-foliated metamorphic rocks, these rocks have distinct recrystallization textures, such as large grain size, crystals meeting along straight edges, or both, which distinguish them from sedimentary rocks. Some minerals found in metamorphic rocks may not be common in igneous rocks or chemical sedimentary rocks (e.g., staurolite).