We present a state-of-the-art review of the microstructural evolution in rocks under static and deformational conditions. First, the general concepts and processes are introduced using monomineralic aggregates. Then, they are expanded into the more complex context of polymineralic rocks with
a dominant matrix phase. The first part of this contribution delivers information on sample strategies to quantify polymineralic microfabrics. Based on comparisons between microfabrics of monomineralic and polymineralic rocks, we use the common knowledge collected over the past decades for monomineralic
systems and discuss the differences to polymineralic ones in terms of microstructures, modal compositions, spatial distribution of phases, crystallographic preferred orientations and associated processes.
The article puts particular emphasis on the effect of coupled grain growth, mass transfer processes, and deformation mechanisms. We speculate on the effect of mineral reactions during the evolution of microstructures and rheology in polymineralic aggregates at different metamorphic conditions. At the
end of the article, we demonstrate the great potential of grain-size evolution maps as microstructural tool to unravel the geological history of polymineralic rocks that evolved under a variety of geodynamic situations.