Regents Earth Science
John Dewey High School
Mr. Klimetz
Metamorphic Rocks:
Identification, Classification, and Interpretation
Reading the Earth Science Reference Tables IV
Answer the following questions based on your interpretation of the Scheme for Metamorphic Rock Identification chart of the Earth Science Reference Tables (page 7) as well as your class notes.


1.     I am a fine-grained, foliated metamorphic rock that consists mainly of mica. The protolith, or
parent rock from which I was created was most likely
a.  sandstone   b.  limestone   c. shale   d.  dolostone

2.     I am a coarse-grained, foliated metamorphic rock that was produced as a result of regional
metamorphism. I consist principally of quartz, feldspar and pyroxene. My name is
a.  hornfels   b.  phyllite   c.  gneiss   d.  marble

3.     I am a fine-grained, nonfoliated metamorphic rock that forms at the boundary between an igneous
intrusion and the surrounding country rock. My name is
a.  hornblende   b.  phyllite  c.  schist   d.  hornfels

4.     Which textural term best describes a metamorphic rock that has been produced as a result of
medium-grade regional metamorphism and in which mica crystals appear as large and clearly
distinguishable grains?
a.  gneissic   b.  foliated   c.  slaty   d.  schistose

5.     I am a nonfoliated metamorphic rock that effervesces (fizzes) in the presence of hydrochloric acid.
My name is
a.  gneiss   b.  marble   c.  hornfels   d.  schist

6.     Quartzite is generally thought to have been produced either through the regional or contact
metamorphism of which protolith?
a.  sandstone   b.  shale  c.  limestone   d.  dolostone

7.     Which is the generally observed relationship between heat, pressure (stress), and depth within
the Earth's crust?
a.  As depth increases, heat increases while pressure decreases.
b.  As depth decreases, heat increases while pressure decreases.
c.  As depth increases, pressure increases while heat decreases.
d.  As depth increases, both heat and pressure increase.

8.     I am a coarse-grained metamorphic rock in which my sole three components, quartz, feldspar,
and amphibole, are arranged in distinct, alternating parallel layers, thereby giving me a banded,
"layer-cake" appearance. My name is
a.  gneiss   b.  hornfels   c.  schist   d.  slate

9.     Which mineral, generally present as one of the principal components of foliated metamorphic
rocks, is replaced by (recrystallized into) feldspar as a result of high-grade regional metamorphism?
a.  pyroxene   b.  hornfels   c.  mica   d.  garnet

10.   Imagine that a shale, formed at the Earth's surface, becomes progressively buried to great depth
beneath a mountain belt. Assuming that melting does not occur, which should be the generally
observed order of metamorphic rocks into which the shale is progressively transformed?
a.  slate-gneiss-schist   b.  schist-gneiss-slate   c.  gneiss-schist-slate   d.  slate-schist-gneiss




















Akiho Miyashiro
Professor Akiho Miyashiro, the most influential and knowledgeable specialist on metamorphism and metamorphic rocks of modern time. He is credited with having revolutionized our understanding of metamorphism and recognizing its application to the development of plate tectonic models of the Earth