Contact metamorphism typically occurs:

Along the margins of igneous intrusions

What do metamorphic isograds represent on a geologic map?

Lines marking first appearance of an index mineral

Fault zones in metamorphic belts

Boundaries between sedimentary layers

Contacts between intrusive bodies

Metamorphism Quiz - How Rocks Change Form

This metamorphism quiz helps you check how rocks change with heat, pressure, and fluids. Practice classifying textures and minerals, and get instant results across 15 multiple-choice questions. For more practice, explore the temperature and pressure quiz, review the rock classification quiz, or sharpen your skills with a mineral identification test.

Understand the role of heat and pressure in metamorphism - Think of heat and pressure as Earth's secret ingredients that transform ordinary rocks into brand-new characters with different textures and mineral combos. These forces squeeze and bake the parent rock, causing minerals to rearrange and form dazzling new metamorphic wonders.
Learn about the different types of metamorphism - Metamorphism has two main flavors: contact and regional. Contact metamorphism is like a spa day near a magma intrusion, heating rocks locally, while regional metamorphism is a mega pressure cooker over huge zones, squeezing rocks deep in mountain roots.
Recognize foliated and non-foliated textures - Foliation gives rocks that cool, layered look, like pages stacked in a book, seen in schist and gneiss. Non-foliated rocks, like marble, go au naturel without any layers, showing off uniform grains.
Identify common metamorphic rocks and their parent rocks - Every metamorphic rock has an origin story: limestone turns into elegant marble under heat and pressure, while shale tightens up into slate during low-grade metamorphism. Spot these geological transformations in outcrops and see the rock cycle live in action.
Understand metamorphic grade - Metamorphic grade is the rock's report card for temperature and pressure - low grades give you slate and phyllite, while high grades result in gneiss and migmatite. It's a spectrum that tells you how intense the rock's makeover was.
Learn about index minerals - Index minerals are the VIPs of metamorphism, emerging only under specific heat-pressure combos; think garnet and staurolite as your geological thermometers. Geologists use these mineral markers to gauge the metamorphic grade like pros reading a map.
Explore metamorphic facies - Metamorphic facies group together minerals that formed under similar conditions, acting like rock-based detective kits to decode Earth's history. By identifying a facies, you can rewind the geologic tape and see the pressure-temperature path the rock walked.
Understand the concept of recrystallization - Recrystallization lets minerals grow new, stable crystals without melting, tweaking a rock's texture and composition like a sculptor refining marble. This process can make grains larger and more interlocked, giving rocks their signature strength and shine.
Recognize the significance of metamorphic textures - Textures such as schistosity (flaky alignment) or gneissic banding (striped patterns) are like the fingerprints of metamorphic conditions. They record the directional stress and thermal history, helping geologists tease apart the rock's epic journey.
Apply knowledge of metamorphic processes to real-world examples - Next time you hike through mountain trails or examine a road cut, bring your metamorphic lens to spot real-life examples of these processes. By linking theory with field observations, you become a rock detective unlocking Earth's dynamic story.