Question

What are the four agents that drive metamorphism?

a. pressure, heat, chemically active fluids, and recrystallization
b. mineral types, heat, directional stress, and pressure
c. directional stress, pressure, heat, and chemically active fluids
d. heat, ductile rocks, chemically active fluids, and pressure
e. directional stress, pressure, chemically active fluids, and geothermal gradient

Answer 1

The four agents of metamorphism are directional stress, pressure, heat, and chemically active fluids, which work together to transform rocks through recrystallization and alignment of minerals.

Step-by-step explanation:

The four agents that drive metamorphism are directional stress, pressure, heat, and chemically active fluids. These agents are responsible for the transformation of rocks through processes that include recrystallization of minerals, creating new minerals, and aligning minerals in a direction perpendicular to pressure when foliation occurs.

Pressure increases with depth and intense pressure can also occur during tectonic plate collisions. Heat is a crucial factor in metamorphism and can originate from magma chambers or the Earth's geothermal gradient. Lastly, chemically active fluids can alter the mineral composition of rocks, leading to significant changes in their structure and composition.