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Definition: metamorphism from The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather Guide

Geological term referring to the changes in rocks of the Earth's crust caused by increasing pressure and temperature. The resulting rocks are metamorphic rocks. All metamorphic changes take place in solid rocks. If the rocks melt and then harden, they are considered igneous rocks.


metamorphism

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
in geology, process of change in the structure, texture, or composition of rocks caused by agents of heat, deforming pressure, shearing stress, hot, chemically active fluids, or a combination of these, acting while the rock being changed remains essentially in the solid state. Theoretically, rocks are formed when their constituents are in equilibrium with ambient physical conditions. If the conditions are changed by movements in the earth's crust or by igneous activity, metamorphism occurs to reestablish equilibrium and changes the physical character of the rock mass. In general, a metamorphic rock is coarser and has a higher density and lower porosity than the rock from which it was formed. Under low grade metamorphic conditions, the original rocks may only compact, as in the formation of slate from shale. High grade metamorphism changes the rock so completely that the source rock often cannot be readily identified. Foliation Alteration of rock texture by metamorphism commonly results…
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Full text Article metamorphism

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
in geology, process of change in the structure, texture, or composition of rocks caused by agents of heat, deforming pressure, shearing stress, hot, chemically active fluids, or a combination of these, acting while the rock being changed remains essentially in the solid state. Theoretically, rocks…
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Full text Article metamorphism

From Britannica Concise Encyclopedia
Mineralogic and structural changes in solid rocks caused by physical conditions different from those under which the rocks originally formed. Changes produced by surface conditions such as compaction are usually excluded. The most important agents of metamorphism are temperature (from 300°–2,200°F, …
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Full text Article contact metamorphism

From Encyclopedia of Earthquakes and Volcanoes
Magma and lava range in temperature from about 1,472 to 2,552°F (800 to 1,400°C). The preexisting rocks that they come into contact with as they pass through or flow onto are typically less than 392°F (200° C) or at the surface, 77°F (25°C). When the molten rock comes into contact with the…
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Full text Article metamorphism

From The Macquarie Dictionary
| 41 words
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Full text Article metamorphism

From The American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language
| 35 words
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Full text Article contact metamorphism

From The American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language
| 57 words
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Full text Article regional metamorphism

From The American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language
| 35 words
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Full text Article metamorphism

From The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather Guide
| 46 words
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Full text Article metamorphism

From The American Heritage Student Science Dictionary
| 23 words
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Full text Article metamorphism

From Merriam-Webster's Collegiate(R) Dictionary
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