Article
Article
- Earth Science
- Mineralogy and petrology
- Hornfels
Hornfels
Article By:
Nyman, Matthew W. Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Last reviewed:April 2022
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.323300
A metamorphic rock that has been subjected to heating during contact metamorphism around intrusive igneous rocks. Hornfels is typically fine-grained, although where it is subjected to high temperatures, large crystals called porphyroblasts can form. In outcrop, hornfels is notoriously tough and can be difficult to sample. Mineral grains in hornfels are randomly oriented, with no preferred alignment of crystals to form foliation or cleavage planes (see illustration). This texture indicates that the hornfels was not subjected to significant stresses during contact metamorphism.
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