Igneous Rocks Like Granite Can Become Gneiss

A photograph of polished gneiss from the stock of a countertop vendor.

Igneous rocks like granite can become gneiss.

The mineral constituents that create these rocks get recycled over time. The parent rock can be either sedimentary igneous or even another metamorphic rock. Granite is an igneous rock whereas gneiss is formed after metamorphosis of an existing igneous rock. These rocks primarily consist of quartz feldspar and mica.

Gneiss can turn into an igneous rock if it is melted. Paragneiss is gneiss derived from sedimentary rock such as sandstone. Metamorphic rocks form from heat and pressure which changes the original or parent rock into a completely new rock. Gneiss ˈ n aɪ s is a common and widely distributed type of metamorphic rock gneiss is formed by high temperature and high pressure metamorphic processes acting on formations composed of igneous or sedimentary rocks orthogneiss is gneiss derived from igneous rock such as granite.

It forms from the slow crystallization of magma below earth s surface. If the chemistry and conditions are right granite forming minerals can precipitate. The mineral composition of both granite and gneiss is same but alteration of granite because of very high pressure and temperature leads to the formation of gneiss. Granite is a light colored igneous rock with grains large enough to be visible with the unaided eye.

Granite is composed mainly of quartz and feldspar with minor amounts of mica amphiboles and other minerals this mineral composition usually gives granite a red pink gray or white color with dark mineral. Gneiss is a metamorphic rock granite is an igneous rock and sandstone is a sedimentary rock. If this occurs it will now be classified as a granite. Heat and pressure cause granite to become gneiss and change sandstone into quartzite.

Not all gneiss is obtained from granite and there are also diorite. Granite gneiss can also form through the metamorphism of sedimentary rocks.