Segment Two: Heat, Pressure, Rock
In this video segment students learn that they can trace earlier metamorphic events by studying rocks exposed by erosion. The process of metamorphism is illustrated using three common rock sequences: sandstone to quartzite, limestone to marble and shale to slate. Students can view contact metamorphic changes at the Triassic Rocks of the Durham Basin in North Carolina. The video then takes students on a field trip with Dr. Bill Spence to study regional metamorphism caused by intrusion of magma rock in the North Carolina Piedmont. Along the way, Dr. Spence stops to study rock types including slate, phyllite, schist, gneiss and migmatite. The trip ends at a quarry where students can view fragments of metamorphosed rock embedded in an ancient magma body.