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GranuliteEncyclopedia Index

Granulites are metamorphic rocks that have experienced high temperatures of metamorphism. They typically have a granular (granoblastic) texture -- that is, a texture comprised of similarly sized and shaped grains -- and hence the name granulite. They are of particular interest to geologists because many granulites represent samples of the deep continental crust. Some granulites experienced decompression from deep in the Earth to shallower crustal levels at high temperature; others cooled while remaining at depth in the Earth.The minerals present in a granulite will vary depending on the parent rock of the granulite and the temperature and pressure conditions experienced during metamorphism. A common type of granulite found in high-grade metamorphic rocks of the continents contains pyroxene, plagioclase feldspar and accessory gaet, oxides and possibly amphibole. Both clinopyroxene and orthopyroxene may be present, and in fact, the coexistence of clino- and orthopyroxene in a metamorphosed basalt defines the Granulite facies.