How does sedimentary rock become metamorphic rock

The layer can be buried under other layers of sediments. After a long time the sediments can be cemented together to make sedimentary rock. In this way, igneous rock can become sedimentary rock. All rock can be heated. But where does the heat come from? Inside Earth there is heat from pressure push your hands together very hard and feel the heat.

There is heat from friction rub your hands together and feel the heat. There is also heat from radioactive decay the process that gives us nuclear power plants that make electricity. So, what does the heat do to the rock? It bakes the rock. Remember, all rocks are made up of mineral crystals, or pieces of other rocks made up of crystals. Baked rock does not melt, but it does change. It forms crystals. If it has crystals already, it forms larger crystals.

Because this rock changes, it is called metamorphic. Remember that a caterpillar changes to become a butterfly. That change is called metamorphosis. Metamorphosis can occur in rock when they are heated to to degrees Celsius.

When Earth's tectonic plates move around, they produce heat. When they collide, they build mountains and metamorphose the rock. The rock cycle continues. Mountains made of metamorphic rocks can be broken up and washed away by streams. New sediments from these mountains can make new sedimentary rock. The rock cycle never stops.

Igneous Rocks : Igneous rocks are a type of rock formed from extremely hot 2, degrees F molten masses known as magma. Generally, magma lies about 90 miles below the surface. In certain places, such as Yellowstone National Park, the magma is as close as 40 miles below the surface. On average, every feet you dig down into the earth, the temperature will increase about 1. Sometimes magma forces its way up to the surface through a vent such as a volcano and spills onto the surface.

This happened near Flagstaff, Arizona at Sunset Crater less than 1, years ago. Once magma comes out onto the surface of the earth it is called lava, and it cools rapidly at the surface. Extrusive igneous rocks can be distinguished by their small crystal sizes.

In all extrusive igneous rock, it is nearly impossible to detect crystals without the aid of a microscope. The faster the rock cools, the smaller the crystals. Some extrusive igneous rocks cool so quickly that they have a glassy texture.

Common extrusive igneous rocks are: andesite, basalt, dacite, pumice, rhyolite, and obsidian. Intrusive igneous rocks solidify over a period of thousands of years. This slow cooling rate allows better development of mineral crystals. Intrusive igneous rocks will have eye visible crystals and will appear coarse-grained. Igneous intrusive rocks eventually will become exposed at the surface of the earth by erosion of the overlying material.

Common intrusive igneous rocks are: granite, diorite, gabbro, and peridotite. The La Sal Mountains were formed by widespread igneous activity that began about 40 million years ago. Caldera explosions erupted thousands of cubic miles of volcanic rocks from several locations. Volcanoes spewed ash and lava. For 20 million years these extrusive volcanic rocks smoothed the landscape, filling depressions with accumulations of ash, flows, and debris literally miles thick.

These mostly pastel-colored extrusive rocks still blanket much of the high areas of central and southwestern Utah. Not all of the molten rising igneous material erupted as volcanic rocks; some material, along with its mineral-bearing fluids, congealed in the earth's crust.

Several of these intruded masses having been exposed by erosion or encountered out by exploration drilling became great mining districts, such as at Alta, Brighton, Bingham, Park City, and Cedar City.

In the Colorado Plateau, bodies of intrusive rocks domed the overlying sedimentary rocks to form the Abajo and Henry Mountains as well as the La Sal Mountains. NOTE: This paragraph on laccoliths borrowed from here. Rocks which have undergone these sorts of changes are called metamorphic rocks.

Explanation: When Sedimentary rocks are buried deep beneath the Earth's surface , great pressure and tremendous heat change these rocks into new rocks containing different minerals. Related questions How do igneous rocks form?

What are some common characteristics of sedimentary rocks? What are some examples of igneous rocks? Consider how granite changes form. Granite is an igneous rock that forms when magma cools relatively slowly underground. It is usually composed primarily of the minerals quartz, feldspar, and mica. When granite is subjected to intense heat and pressure, it changes into a metamorphic rock called gneiss.

Slate is another common metamorphic rock that forms from shale. Limestone, a sedimentary rock , will change into the metamorphic rock marble if the right conditions are met. This happens due to geologic uplift and the erosion of the rock and soil above them. At the surface, metamorphic rocks will be exposed to weathering processes and may break down into sediment. These sediments could then be compressed to form sedimentary rocks, which would start the entire cycle anew.

Any rock type can become any other. The audio, illustrations, photos, and videos are credited beneath the media asset, except for promotional images, which generally link to another page that contains the media credit. The Rights Holder for media is the person or group credited. Tyson Brown, National Geographic Society.

National Geographic Society. Conditions like these are found deep within the Earth or where tectonic plates meet. Process of Metamorphism: The process of metamorphism does not melt the rocks, but instead transforms them into denser, more compact rocks. New minerals are created either by rearrangement of mineral components or by reactions with fluids that enter the rocks. Pressure or temperature can even change previously metamorphosed rocks into new types.

Metamorphic rocks are often squished, smeared out, and folded. Despite these uncomfortable conditions, metamorphic rocks do not get hot enough to melt, or they would become igneous rocks! Common Metamorphic Rocks: Common metamorphic rocks include phyllite, schist, gneiss, quartzite and marble. Foliated Metamorphic Rocks: Some kinds of metamorphic rocks -- granite gneiss and biotite schist are two examples -- are strongly banded or foliated.

Foliated means the parallel arrangement of certain mineral grains that gives the rock a striped appearance. Foliation forms when pressure squeezes the flat or elongate minerals within a rock so they become aligned. These rocks develop a platy or sheet-like structure that reflects the direction that pressure was applied.

Non-Foliated Metamorphic Rocks: Non-foliated metamorphic rocks do not have a platy or sheet-like structure. There are several ways that non-foliated rocks can be produced.

Some rocks, such as limestone are made of minerals that are not flat or elongate. No matter how much pressure you apply, the grains will not align! Another type of metamorphism, contact metamorphism, occurs when hot igneous rock intrudes into some pre-existing rock. The pre-existing rock is essentially baked by the heat, changing the mineral structure of the rock without addition of pressure.

Learn more: Geologic units containing metamorphic rock. The buildings of our Nation's Capital are constructed with rocks from quarries located throughout the United States and many distant lands.

The earliest Government buildings, however, were constructed with stones from nearby sources because it was too difficult and expensive to move heavy materials such as stone any great distance without the aid Ever wondered what the difference between a rock and a mineral was? This EarthWord should cover it