5 METAMORPHISM OF MARBLES AND

CALC-SILICATE ROCKS

The third group of metamorphic rocks to be considered in detail are those derived from
calcareous sediments: limestones and marls. Pelitic rocks provided relatively clear-cut
isograds that could be related to specific discontinuous reactions, while metabasites
introduced the additional complexity of a zonal sequence dominated by continuous
reactions. In this chapter we will see the effects of a further variable on the stability of
metamorphic mineral assemblages: the composition of the fluid phase.
In the sedimentary record limestones are sometimes very pure and because calcite itself
is stable under most crustal conditions these rocks may not develop new minerals during
metamorphism. However, many limestones contain other constituents such as detrital
grains or diagenetic dolomite, and these may react extensively with calcite during meta-
morphism. Manly sediments containing a mixture of carbonate and silicate components
are also common, and there is a complete spectrum possible between purely carbonate and
purely silicate sediments.
Metamorphic rocks reflect the variability of the sedimentary record, and so also include
both pure marbles and a range of metasediments with variable proportions of carbonate.
However, it is also not unusual, especially at medium to high grades, to find metasedi -
ments that are rich in Ca- or CaMg-silicates (such as zoisite, grossular, amphibole 07
diopside) but which contain little or no carbonate. These rocks are known as calc-
silicates, and in many cases are probably the products of metamorphism of originllly
carbonate-bearing sediments. We infer this because calcite and dolomite are the major
Ca- and Mg-bearing constituents of sediments, and the reactions in which they partici-
pate typically involve breakdown of carbonates with loss of CO 2 in the production of
silicates. Skarns are a variety of tale-silicate rock formed by metasomatic interaction
between marble and silicate rock. The most spectacular examples result from intrusion of
granite into marble.

In practice, therefore, it becomes convenient for the description of metamorphosed

calcareous sediments to divide them into two categories: marbles in which carbonates are
abundant; and calc-silicates with little or no carbonate. The possible range in mineralogy
of calc-silicates is very large, since it depends on the precise mixture of sedimentary
components in the original layer as well as being susceptible to metasomatic interactions
with adjacent layers. For this reason, no attempt will be made here to provide a compre-
hensive guide to the mineralogy of calc-silicates, even though they are often sensitive
indicators of metamorphic grade. However, some examples of the types of mineralogical
zoning most commonly found are outlined later in the chapter. The compositions of the
phases discussed in this chapter are listed in the Glossary.