Metamorphic rock is the result of the transformation of a pre-existing rock type, the protolith, in a process called metamorphism, which means "change in form". The protolith is subjected to heat and ...

Researchers have discovered microdiamonds in the Nishisonogi metamorphic rock formation in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. Microdiamonds in metamorphic rocks are important minerals because they form in ...

Some rocks are very common on earth. Large portions of the continents consist for example of granite and basalt covers almost all of the oceanic crust. Other rocks are formed only when very specific ...

The discovery of tiny diamonds embedded in rock samples from northeastern Australia indicates that the geological past Australia’s eastern coast is more complex than previously thought. Metamorphic ...

A new study of rocks that formed billions of years ago lends fresh insight into how Earth's plate tectonics—the movement of large pieces of Earth's outer shell—evolved over the planet's ...

High-pressure metamorphic rocks form during subduction of Earth’s crust to mantle depths at convergent plate margins. Their exposure at the surface of Earth today provides a record of the subduction ...

Sedimentary rocks are made up of pieces of older rocks (igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary) and organic remains (shells, bone, etc.). When rocks break apart from erosion they are transported by ...

Researchers have produced a new estimate for the origin of Earth's plate tectonics—the movement of large chunks of the planet's outer layer, or crust. Although there is broad consensus that plate ...

Collectors of all ages have always been interested in rocks and the minerals that make them up. They come in countless shapes, sizes and colors. There are three main types of rocks: sedimentary, ...

We often talk about climate change, melting glaciers, or strange landforms. But we rarely think about something that’s always around us– rocks. They don’t make the news, but they’re everywhere. We ...