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Where is slate found in nature?

Slate is a fine-grained, homogeneous metamorphic rock, which is foliated (in geology: consisting of layers, layered). It comes mainly in a great variety of grey but can also be purple, green or cyan. It is mainly quarried in Spain and Brazil but is also quite commonly found in the USA and in Britain and Asia.

Where does slate come from?

Slate is derived from fine-grained sediments such as mud or occasionally volcanic ash laid down millions of years ago in layers known as bedding. As the pile of sediments thickened, the original open structure of the mud was compacted into a mudstone or shale.

How much does a piece of slate cost?

Cost of Slate Tile Per Square Foot The average price of slate tiles is roughly $4 per square foot, and more expensive materials cost up to $10 per square foot. If money isn't an object for your project, you can even buy very high-end slate flooring materials at $15 to $28 per square foot.

Where is slate formed in the earth?

Most slate is formed below the earth's surface by changes in the makeup of shale, a sedimentary rock. Shale primarily consists of clay minerals and of fine particles of quartz.

How can you tell if a rock is slate?

Distinguishing Characteristics: dark grey to black, very fine grains (smooth to the touch), harder than shale, distinct layers are visible. Uses: slate is used in flooring and roofing materials. In the past, slate was used as chalkboards.

Does slate contain gold?

Pyrite, the small specks or 'gold' visible in some pieces of slate, is simply 'iron sulphide' and it occurs naturally in slate. The iron pyrite interacts with water and can form rust spots and in more extreme cases, rust runs.

Does slate break easily?

Durable! Slate is one of the strongest natural stone flooring materials. It's resistant to cracks, scratches, breaks, and chips.

What is slate used for?

Slate has many uses such as snooker tables, roofing, gravestones, flooring and garden decorations.

Does slate absorb water?

Does slate absorb water? Slate has a very low water absorption index making it almost completely waterproof, one of the main reasons why slate is a preferred material for roof tiles, cladding and tiles in wet-rooms as well as for countertops in kitchens.

What rocks make slate?

Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. It is the finest grained foliated metamorphic rock.

Is slate a natural stone?

Slate is a natural stone flooring material that is quarried from out of the earth, usually from mountains. Slate is a metamorphic rock, which (if you'll recall your elementary school geology) simply means that it is formed over long periods of time out of other existing rock types.

What type of stone is slate?

metamorphic rockSlate is a metamorphic rock of sedimentary origin. Is mainly composed of quartz, sericite and minerals of the chlorite group. Has been used as a construction material since the ancient Egyptians. Its colour depends on the mineral structure and size of the mineral grains that define its composition.

What rocks make slate?

Slate is formed by a metamorphosis of clay, shale and volcanic ash that results to a fine-grained foliated rock, resulting in unique slate textures. It is a metamorphic rock, being the finest grained foliated of its kind.

How is slate mined?

Slate is either quarried from a slate quarry or reached by tunneling in a slate mine. Common uses for slate include as a roofing material, a flooring material, gravestones and memorial tablets, and for electrical insulation. Slate mines are found around the world.

Is slate natural stone?

Slate is a natural stone flooring material that is quarried from out of the earth, usually from mountains. Slate is a metamorphic rock, which (if you'll recall your elementary school geology) simply means that it is formed over long periods of time out of other existing rock types.

What is Slate?

S late is a fine-grained, foliated metamorphic rock that is created by the alteration of shale or mudstone by low-grade regional metamorphism. It is popular for a wide variety of uses such as roofing, flooring, and flagging because of its durability and attractive appearance.

What are the minerals in slate?

Slate can also contain abundant quartz and small amounts of feldspar, calcite, pyrite, hematite, and other minerals. Slate roof: Most of the slate mined throughout the world is used to produce roofing slates.

What is slate tile?

Slate tile flooring: Slate is a durable rock that is suitable for use as flooring, stair treads, sidewalk slabs, and patio stone. It is also produced in a variety of colors that allow it to be incorporated into a variety of design projects. Shown above are multi-color flooring tiles.

What causes foliation in slate?

Foliation in slate is caused by the parallel orientation of platy minerals in the rock, such as microscopic grains of clay minerals and mica. These parallel mineral grain alignments give the rock an ability to break smoothly along planes of foliation.

What is the name of the rock that forms the roof and floor of a coal mine?

In the coal mining industry of the Appalachian Basin, the word "slate" is still used by many miners in reference to the shale that forms the roof and floor of a mine, and for fragments of shale that are separated from the coal in preparation plants. Experienced miners train newer miners, and archaic language is passed along.

What is the tectonic environment for producing slate?

The tectonic environment for producing slate is usually a former sedimentary basin that becomes involved in a convergent plate boundary. Shales and mudstones in that basin are compressed by horizontal forces with minor heating. These forces and heat modify the clay minerals in the shale and mudstone. Foliation develops at right angles ...

What is the color of slate?

Color of Slate. Most slates are gray in color and range in a continuum of shades from light to dark gray. Slate also occurs in shades of green, red, black, purple, and brown. The color of slate is often determined by the amount and type of iron and organic material that are present in the rock. Rock & Mineral Kits: Get a rock, mineral, ...

Where does slate come from?

Most slate in Europe today comes from Spain, the world's largest producer and exporter of natural slate, and 90 percent of Europe's natural slate used for roofing originates from the slate industry there.

Where is slate found in Europe?

Lesser slate-producing regions in Europe include Wales (with a museum at Llanberis ), Cornwall (famously the village of Delabole ), Cumbria (see Burlington Slate Quarries, Honister Slate Mine and Skiddaw Slate) and, formerly in the West Highlands of Scotland, around Ballachulish and the Slate Islands in the United Kingdom. Parts of France ( Anjou, Loire Valley, Ardennes, Brittany, Savoie) and Belgium (Ardennes), Liguria in northern Italy, especially between the town of Lavagna (which means chalkboard in Italian) and Fontanabuona valley; Portugal especially around Valongo in the north of the country.

What is slate rock?

Slate is a fine-grained metamorphic rock that shows no obvious compositional layering, but can easily be split into thin slabs and plates. It is usually formed by low-grade regional metamorphism of mudrock. This mild degree of metamorphism produces a rock in which the individual mineral crystals remain microscopic in size, producing a characteristic slaty cleavage in which fresh cleavage surfaces appear dull. This is in contrast to the silky cleaved surfaces of phyllite, which is the next higher grade of metamorphic rock derived from mudstone. The direction of cleavage is independent of any sedimentary structures in the original mudrock, reflecting instead the direction of regional compression.

What is foliation in slate?

The foliation in slate is called " slaty cleavage ". It is caused by strong compression causing fine grained clay flakes to regrow in planes perpendicular to the compression.

Why is slate considered a metamorphic rock?

Because slate was formed in low heat and pressure, compared to a number of other metamorphic rocks, some fossils can be found in slate; sometimes even microscopic remains of delicate organisms can be found in slate.

What is slate cleavage?

Slaty cleavage is continuous, meaning that the individual cleavage planes are too closely spaced to be discernible in hand samples. The texture of the slate is totally dominated by these pervasive cleavage planes. Under the microscope, the slate is found to consist of very thin lenses of quartz and feldspar (QF-domains) separated by layers of mica (M-domains). These are typically less than 100 microns thick.

Why is slate used in a lab?

Because it is a good electrical insulator and fireproof, it was used to construct early-20th-century electric switchboards and relay controls for large electric motors. Due to its thermal stability and chemical inertness, slate has been used for laboratory bench tops and for billiard table tops.

Composition

Appearance

• Most slates are gray in color and range in a continuum of shades from light to dark gray. Slate also occurs in shades of green, red, black, purple, and brown. The color of slate is often determined by the amount and type of iron and organic material that are present in the rock.

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Etymology

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Overview

Slate extraction

Description

Uses

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