metamorphism
Americannoun
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Geology. a change in the structure or constitution of a rock due to natural agencies, as pressure and heat, especially when the rock becomes harder and more completely crystalline.
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Archaic. metamorphosis.
noun
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the process by which metamorphic rocks are formed
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a variant of metamorphosis
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The process by which rocks are changed in composition, texture, or structure by extreme heat and pressure.
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◆ In prograde metamorphism metamorphic rocks that were formed under low pressure and temperature conditions undergo a second metamorphic event in which they are exposed to higher pressures and temperatures.
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◆ In retrograde metamorphism metamorphic rocks that were formed under high pressure and temperature conditions undergo a second metamorphic event in which they are exposed to lower pressures and temperatures.
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See more at contact metamorphism regional metamorphism
Etymology
Origin of metamorphism
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
As global stocks of these rocks build up they can then release their carbon during tectonic processes, including mountain building and metamorphism.
From Science Daily • Apr. 10, 2024
Because seifertite and stishovite are easily disturbed by thermal metamorphism, they inferred the silica fragment likely originated from the collision that formed the Aristarchus crater.
From Science Daily • Feb. 6, 2024
Shock metamorphism has happened often on Mars, but there’s also evidence for metamorphism that’s a bit like a cooler, gentler version of what can happen on Earth.
From National Geographic • Oct. 12, 2023
On Earth, metamorphism usually happens slowly and deep underground.
From National Geographic • Oct. 12, 2023
Around these separate centres of intrusion are areoles of metamorphism in which the Jurassic shales have been converted into slates and phyllites.
From Mount Everest the Reconnaissance, 1921 by Howard-Bury, Charles Kenneth
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
