contact metamorphism

noun

Geology.

1. localized metamorphism resulting from the heat of an igneous intrusion.

contact metamorphism

1. A type of metamorphism in which the mineralogy and texture of a body of rock are changed by exposure to the pressure and extreme temperature associated with a body of intruding magma. Contact metamorphism often results in the formation of valuable minerals, such as garnet and emery, through the interaction of the hot magma with adjacent rock.

2. See also aureole Compare regional metamorphism

Word History and Origins

Origin of contact metamorphism¹

First recorded in 1875–80

Example Sentences

Darwin, trained by Sedgwick, noted the contact metamorphism between the former hot molten lava and the earlier cool limestone.

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In the case of intense contact metamorphism, the altered rock assumes a new form, and may exhibit a crystalline and foliated or schistose structure.

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The principal agencies which take part in contact metamorphism are heat, heated waters, pressure, and perhaps movements within the rocks.

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The analogy between rocks altered by contact metamorphism and those affected by regional metamorphism had led to the conclusion that the latter, like the former, have been changed by heat and the passage through them of heated water bearing mineral matter, and especially silica, in solution.

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The heat of an intruded magma affects the rocks it traverses and produces what is termed contact metamorphism.

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