Naming Metamorphic Rocks IUGS

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Specific Metamorphic Rock Names Recommended by IUGS
Amphibolite: is a gneissose or granofelsic metamorphic rock mainly consisting of

green, brown or black amphibole and plagioclase (including albite), which combined
form ≥75% of the rock and both of which are present as major constituents; the
amphibole constitutes ≥50% of the total mafic constituents and is present in an amount
of ≥30%. Other common minerals include quartz, clinopyroxene, garnet, epidote-group
minerals, biotite, titanite and scapolite.
Granulite is a high-grade metamorphic rock in which Fe-Mg-silicates are dominantly

anhydrous; the presence of feldspar and the absence of primary muscovite are critical,
cordierite may also be present. The rocks with >30% mafic minerals (dominantly
pyroxene) may be called mafic granulites, those with <30% mafic minerals (dominantly
pyroxene) may be called felsic granulites. The term should not be applied to ultramafic
rocks, calc-silicate rocks, marbles, ironstones or quartzites. Detailed names and
subdivisions may be given using mineral-root names, for example, garnet-clinopyroxene-
plagioclase granulite.
Eclogite: Plagioclase-free metamorphic rock composed of ≥75% vol. of omphacite and

garnet, both of which are present as major constituents, the amount of neither of them
being higher than 75%.
Migmatite: A composite silicate metamorphic rock, pervasively heterogeneous on a

meso- to megascopic scale. It typically consists of darker and lighter parts. The darker
parts usually exhibit features of metamorphic rocks whereas the lighter parts are of
igneous-looking appearance. Wherever minerals other than silicates and quartz are
substantially involved, it should be explicitly mentioned.
Slate: An ultrafine- or very fine-grained rock displaying slaty cleavage (a type of

continuous cleavage in which the individual grains are too small to be seen by the
unaided eye).
Phyllite: A fine- to medium-grained rock characterised by a lustrous sheen and a well-

developed schistosity resulting from the parallel arrangement of phyllosilicates.
Marble: Metamorphic rock containing more than 50% vol. of carbonate minerals (calcite
and/or aragonite and/or dolomite). Pure marble contains more than 95% vol. of
carbonate minerals; a marble containing less than 95% of carbonate minerals is
classified as impure marble.
Carbonate-silicate rock: Metamorphic rock mainly composed of silicate minerals

(including calc-silicate minerals) and containing between 5 and 50% vol. of carbonate
minerals (calcite and/or aragonite and/or dolomite).
Calc-silicate rock: Metamorphic rock mainly composed of calc-silicate minerals and

containing less than 5% vol. of carbonate minerals (calcite and/or aragonite and/or
dolomite).
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Rules for Prefixing Rock Names
All the major mineral constituents (5% or more) that are present in a rock should
be prefixed. The prefixes should be hyphenated and placed in order of increasing
abundance. For example biotite-quartz-plagioclase gneiss contains more plagioclase
than quartz and more quartz than biotite.
If minor constituents (<5%) are named, the form ‘mineral’-bearing should be used
and placed at the beginning of the name (e.g. rutile-bearing biotite-quartz-plagioclase
gneiss). If more than one minor constituent is named, the names should be arranged in
order of increasing modal abundance, for example, rutile-ilmenite-bearing quartz-
plagioclase gneiss, where rutile is less abundant than ilmenite.
Ortho: prefix indicating, when in front of a metamorphic rock name, that the rock derived
from an igneous rock (e.g. orthogneiss).
Para : prefix indicating, when in front of a metamorphic rock name, that the rock derived
from a sedimentary rock (e.g. paragneiss).
Common Metamorphic Textures

Crenulated: describing a metamorphic rock in which a younger foliation has been
superimposed on an older foliation, commonly producing very small scale folds.
Decussate: non-foliated texture in which axes of contiguous crystals lie in diverse, criss-
cross directions. It is most noticeable in rocks composed largely of platy or columnar
minerals.
Depletion haloes: a zone surrounding a porphyroblast in which the matrix has been
depleted in chemical components due to diffusion and incorporation of these
components into the porphyroblast
Gneissic: layered rock in which bands or lenses of granular minerals (quartz and
feldspar) alternate with bands or lenses in which platy (mica) or elongate (amphibole)
minerals predominate.
Granoblastic: a metamorphic texture in which anhedral, equigranular crystals intersect
at 120° triple junctions under ideal conditions
Mesh Texture: a net-like pattern of mineral grains that are in optical continuity, but
which are separated by replacement minerals
Migmatitic: irregularly banded rock composed of an unmelted metamorphic portion and
a melted igneous portion.
Poikiloblastic: occurrence of abundant finer grained inclusions within porphyroblasts
Porphyroblastic: large crystals of metamorphic origin surrounded by smaller crystals
Pseudomorphous: a replacement texture in which the external form of a pre-existing
mineral is mimicked by the replacement mineral
Reaction Rims: the partial replacement of minerals along grain boundaries due to
reaction between the two minerals along their contact
Schistose: layered rock in which platy mineral grains such as muscovite, biotite, chlorite
or talc have a parallel arrangement.
Subgrains: portions of a grain in which the lattices differ by a small angle due to
deformation. Common in quartz.
Symplectitic: polymineralic intergrowths of fine-grained elongate crystals that grew
simultaneously

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1

Specific Metamorphic Rock Names Recommended by IUGS

Amphibolite: is a gneissose or granofelsic metamorphic rock mainly consisting of

Granulite is a high-grade metamorphic rock in which Fe-Mg-silicates are dominantly

Eclogite: Plagioclase-free metamorphic rock composed of ≥75% vol. of omphacite and

Migmatite: A composite silicate metamorphic rock, pervasively heterogeneous on a

Slate: An ultrafine- or very fine-grained rock displaying slaty cleavage (a type of

Phyllite: A fine- to medium-grained rock characterised by a lustrous sheen and a well-

Carbonate-silicate rock: Metamorphic rock mainly composed of silicate minerals

Calc-silicate rock: Metamorphic rock mainly composed of calc-silicate minerals and

Common Metamorphic Textures

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