Metamorphic rocks are the most common rock type on Earth, and their study allows us to put constraints on the pressure, stress and temperature conditions in the crust and mantle, and on the bulk composition in these environments. Metamorphism affects rocks in three ways; it changes their mineralogy, it changes their shape, and it can change their composition. In this course we will look at the processes behind metamorphism, the description and classification of metamorphic rocks, and how to extract information from metamorphic rocks and minerals to determine the conditions under which they formed.

The course consists of 2 hours of lectures and 3 hours of lab practicals. Labs will involve description and interpretation of hand specimens and thin sections of metamorphic rocks and thermodynamic and geothermobarometric calculations to constrain conditions.

The book that we will use in the course is: Philpotts and Ague (2009) Principles of Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology. A good alternative is Winter (2010) An Introduction to Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology. These are the same books that were used in Intro Petrology, and the course is set up with the expectation that you have either one of these books. In addition, the following books are excellent supplementary reading:

1. -Bucher and Frey (2010) Petrogenesis of Metamorphic Rocks: nice textbook on metamorphic petrology with 4 chapters of general concepts followed by detailed descriptions of metamorphism in different rock compositions. This book is available as an eBook from the McGill library website.
   

2. -Frank Spear (1994) Metamorphic Phase Equilibria and Pressure-Temperature-Time Paths. Comprehensive overview of all aspects of metamorphism. Both an excellent textbook and reference work. Can be bought here.
   

Although no book is required for the lab section of the course, there are several helpful guides on recognizing minerals in thinsection, which you will be allowed to use during the labs. These include:

1. -MacKenzie, Adams and Brodie (2017) Rocks and Minerals in Thin Section (A Colour Atlas): photographs of most common rock forming minerals in thinsection. This book is available as an eBook from the McGill library.
   

2. -Yardley, MacKenzie and Guilford (1990) Atlas of Metamorphic Rocks and Their Textures: similar to previous, but dedicated to metamorphic rocks. Beautiful images.
   

3. -Perkins and Henke (2003) Minerals in Thin Section: a detailed guide to microscopy with lots of pictures and drawing of minerals and textures in thinsection
   

4. -Philpotts (2003) Petrography of Igneous and Metamorphic Rocks: detailed guide to microscopy of igneous and metamorphic rocks with lots of figures and a CD with images
   

5. -Barker (2014) A key for identification of rock-forming minerals in thin section: Nice guide to mineral identification using the petrographic microscope with lots of colour images. This book is available as an eBook from the McGill library
   

Note that all these books are also readily available second-hand from online booksellers such as Ilab.org and Abebooks.