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Key Information

Metamorphic Rocks

Type Formed by Heating, Pressure and Chemical Changes
Area Much Some found on the surface, or crust, the rest underground in deeper parts of the crust, or where continents have collided.
Examples Gneiss, slate, marble, schist, and quartzite

Learning Point

  • Metamorphic rocks are formed from igneous, sedimentary, and even other metamorphic rocks. These types of rock sometimes have traces of what they were before, other times it is hard to identify what they were before. They make up about 12% of the surface of the Earth.

Project

  • Draw something made from marble.
  • Overview
  • Basalt to Amphibolite
Marble Metamorphic Rocks
Wilson44691, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Texture of Basalt
James St. John, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Texture of Ambhipbolite
James St. John, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Fun Facts

  • Metamorphic rock is formed when a rock is heated to more than 300 °F, and often is put under pressure or chemically changed.
  • Some examples of metamorphic rocks are gneiss, slate, marble, schist, and quartzite.
  • Slate, quartzite and marble are used often in construction.
  • The Scottish naturalist, James Hutton, was the first to suggest metamorphic rocks are formed with heat in the process.

Past Lessons

103 March 4, 2024 (North America)
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Upcoming Lessons

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