Civil Thinking

Causes / agents of metamorphism

  • Heat:  the most important agent
    • Drives chemical reactions at atomic level
      • solid–state diffusion of atoms
    • Internal / geothermal sources of heat
      • increase in temperature with depth (geothermal gradient:  ~ 20 – 30° C / km)
      • contact metamorphism – heat from magma
      • metamorphism occurs at ~ 250 – 850° C
  • Recrystallization  => more T–stable minerals  (some new)

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