Metamorphic Facies

Metamorphic Facies
When a rock is metamorphosed by heat and pressure, there may be addition or loss of volatiles such as
H2O and CO2, but the overall bulk chemistry of the rock remains essentially the same. The changes
brought about about by metamorphism , therefore, are simply mineralogical and textural changes, rather
than an overall chemical change.
The mineralogy of a metamorphic rock, therefore, is determined by the P-T conditions to which it has
been subjected. By reproducing the P-T conditions under laboratory conditions and observing what
minerals crystallise, we can deduce the P-T conditions of rocks containing those minerals.
The P-T conditions that produce particular rock types and particular mineral assemblages are termed
metamorphic facies . The following diagram shows metamorphic facies in relation to Pressure and
Temperature. The relative locations and approximate pressures and temperatures should be known.

Key reactions between minerals mark the boundaries between individual metamorphic facies. For
example, the out going of chlorite marks the greenschist - amphibolite boundary:
chlorite + muscovite + quartz => cordierite + aluminosilicate + biotite + water
The outgoing of muscovite marks the amphibolite - granulite boundary:

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muscovite + quartz => K-feldspar + aluminosilicate + water

The above reactions imply that amphibolite facies rocks do not contain chlorite and granulite facies
rocks do not contain muscovite.

Index Minerals
Because some minerals form within particular range of P-T conditions, their presence within a rock
gives an indication of the conditions that the rock was formed under. Using two or more such index
minerals, the conditions of formation are able to be progressively narrowed. The aluminosilicate
polymorphs, andalusite, sillimanite and kyanite, are good examples of index minerals, as they only form
during metamorphism (see Chernicoff, Fig. 7-19, pg. 195). Andalusite is the low pressure polymorph,
forming during low grade regional metamorphism or by contact metamorphism. If two aluminosilicates
occur within the one rock, then the conditions of formation are constrained to around the boundary
between the two stability regions. Note that the conditions may not be exactly on the boundary, as the
sluggishness of reactions means that minerals may still be found a little outside their stability field.

Metamorphic Zones
As rocks of the same chemical composition have different mineral assemblages, but rocks with the same
mineral assemblages represent similar metamorphic facies, then by selecting characteristic index
minerals, regions of similar metamorphic grade can be mapped in the field. The line that indicates where
these index minerals first appear is known as an isograd. The region between isograds is a
metamorphic zone. Thus the first appearance of biotite in a metamorphic rock defines the biotite
isograd, and the biotite zone continues until the in coming of the next highest index mineral. Note that
biotite may continue to occur in the higher metamorphic zones.
The concept of metamorphic zones was pioneered by a Scottish geologist, Barrows, in the Sottish
highlands, where the index minerals, in order of increasing metamorphic grade, are chlorite - biotite garnet - staurolite - kyanite - sillimanite. This characteristic metamorphic facies series is now known as
Barrovian series metamorphism. A similar zoning occurs in the northeast U.S. (see Chernicoff, Fig. 721, pg. 197).

Plate Tectonics, Metamorphism and Time

Certain metamorphic facies are indicative of particular structural, or plate tectonic settings. Structural
examination of metamorphic rocks often allows to see through past metamorphic events and an
interpretation of the tectonic history of the rock. These histories can be plotted in terms of the most
important variables influencing the formation of metamorphic rocks: pressure P, temperature T, and time
t. Plotting the metamorphic history of a rock gives rise to a so called P-T-t path. Two examples are
shown below.

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P-T-t Paths of Blueschist Metamorphism

Blueschist metamorphism is a low temperature, high pressure regional metamorphism indicative of
subduction zones, where the cold, descending slab drags sediment down, leading to its deep burial at
relatively low temperatures.
Cold, crustal rocks at t1 are dragged down by the rapidly subducting plate. They are thus subjected to a
rapid increase in pressure, but are still relatively cool (Fig. 4). These are the conditions of blueschist
metamorphism at time t2. It is known as blueschist due to the presence of the amphibole glauocophane,
which gives the rock a characteristic blue colour. Buoyancy of the low density, crustal rocks stabilises
their position in the crust, or may lead to a release in pressure, but the temperature of the rocks rises in
keeping with their deep burial time (time t3). As the rocks rise to the surface, pressures and temperatures
decrease in keeping with the geothermal gradient. Retrograde metamorphism may occur (t4). The P-T-t
path of such a tectonic history delineates a clockwise path on a P-T-t diagram. (Note that the following
diagrams are drawn in the standard position with lowest pressures at the bottom, rather than at the top.
The previous diagrams of metamorphic facies show lowest pressure at the top to represent the earth's
surface.)
1.

P-T-t Paths of Collision Zone Regional Metamorphism

On the landward or volcanic arc side of a subduction zone, magmas formed by the wet partial melting of
the subducting plate rise through the overriding plate to high levels in the crust and heat the crustal rocks
(t1) to t2). Note that the volume of melt involved leads to regional scale heating. Contact metamorphism
would also occur adjacent to each intrusion. As the continents collide and the lithosphere thickens,
pressure increases for the deeper rocks, with an increase in temperature, but at a lesser rate (t3). As later
uplift and erosion progressively exposes the deeply buried rocks, pressures and temperatures subside and

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retrograde metamorphism may take place (t4). The P-T-t path of such a tectonic history delineates an
anti-clockwise path on a P-T diagram, as shown below.
1.

Metasomatism
1. Metamorphic reactions discussed so far involve relatively fixed chemical compositions, apart
from devolatilisation and the release of water and carbon dioxide. This is because there is
relatively fluid in relation to the amount of rock, and the reactions take place slowly. The fluid
provides the pathway for the mobilisation of elements from one mineral to another, but not
enough to dissolve enough to noticeably change the rock composition.
Where fluid is abundant, however, ions can be removed in solution or precipitated from solution
and the rock composition changes. Such an alteration of the rock composition by the movement
of fluids is known as metasomatism

Peter.Whitehead

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Updated 12/2/01