This article does not cite any sources. Please help improve this articlebyadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
Find sources: "Recrystallization" geology – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (March 2011) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Ingeology, solid-state recrystallization is a metamorphic process that occurs under high temperatures and pressures where atoms of minerals are reorganized by diffusion and/or dislocation glide. During this process, the physical structure of the minerals is altered while the composition remains unchanged. This is in contrast to metasomatism, which is the chemical alteration of a rockbyhydrothermal and other fluids.
Solid-state recrystallization can be illustrated by observing how snow recrystallizes to ice. When snow is subjected to varying temperatures and pressures, individual snowflakes undergo a physical transformation but their composition remains the same. Limestone is a sedimentary rock that undergoes metamorphic recrystallization to form marble, and clays can recrystallize to muscovite mica.
Authority control databases: National ![]() |
|
---|
![]() | This article related to petrology is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
![]() | This geochemistry article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |