A dark metamorphic rock composed primarily of amphibole minerals, formed when rocks deep underground are heated and squeezed.
From 'amphibole' (the primary mineral) + '-ite' (Greek suffix for rocks and minerals). This geological term became standard in the 19th century as scientists classified metamorphic rocks more precisely.
Amphibolite rocks are like geological time capsules — they form so deep in the Earth that studying them tells us about processes happening miles underground that we can never directly observe! Some amphibolites are over 3 billion years old, making them windows into Earth's ancient history.
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