Question:hard

Intrusion of a 10-meter thick dolerite dyke into a boron-rich quartz-garnet-biotite-muscovite-chlorite schist developed a visible symmetric baked zone. Which of the following minerals can develop in this baked zone, 2 meters away from the margin of the dyke?

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Amphibole is a common product of metamorphism around hot intrusions, such as dolerite dykes, due to its formation in intermediate to high-grade metamorphic conditions.
Updated On: Jun 1, 2026
  • Orthopyroxene
  • Clinopyroxene
  • Amphibole
  • Tourmaline
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The Correct Option is C

Solution and Explanation

Step 1: Picture the baked zone.
The hot dolerite dyke bakes the schist beside it. The temperature is high right at the contact and falls as we move away, so 2 metres out the heat is only moderate.

Step 2: Use the rock chemistry.
The schist is rich in boron and carries mica and chlorite. With heat plus the water it releases, this mix favours hydrous minerals.

Step 3: Pick the right new mineral.
At a moderate distance the contact heat grows amphibole, a hydrous mineral typical of medium grade baking of schists. So amphibole develops there.

Step 4: Reject the others.
Orthopyroxene and clinopyroxene need very high, dry heat found only at the contact itself. Tourmaline is a pegmatite mineral, not a contact baking product. So those do not fit 2 metres out.

Step 5: Final choice.
So the mineral that forms is amphibole.
\[ \boxed{\text{Amphibole}} \]
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