What is Metamorphic rock?

Metamorphic rock is like a cookie that gets reshaped while it’s still hot in the oven.

Imagine you have a chocolate chip cookie, that's like igneous rock, made from melted stuff cooling down. Now, if the cookie gets squished or pressed while it's still warm, it might change shape and get smoother, that's like metamorphic rock!

How Metamorphic Rock Gets Made

When rocks are deep underground, they can be squeezed by pressure or heated by heat, just like how a cookie changes in the oven. These forces make the rocks squish together and rearrange their inside parts, making them look different, sometimes smoother, sometimes shiny.

A Real-Life Example

Think of a brick wall that gets squished really hard. The bricks get pushed together and might even start to shine, that’s like marble, which is a type of metamorphic rock!

So, metamorphic rocks are just old rocks that got squeezed or heated and changed shape, no magic needed!

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Examples

  1. A marble countertop is a type of metamorphic rock formed from limestone.
  2. Slate is used for roofing and comes from shale that was changed by heat and pressure.
  3. When you cook an egg, it changes shape and texture, like how rocks change underground.

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Categories: Art · rock cycle· geology· earth science