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Slate |
| Slate is a metamorphic rock. It is considered the lowest grade of any metamorphic rock. Slate is formed from a different rock, called Shale. Its color is a grayish color. The rock’s grains or foliated. Slate is used today with many different uses. | ||
| More about Rock | ||
| Slate is said to have first formed about 500 million years ago. It is formed from a separate rock called Shale when it is subjected to pressure and temperatures reaching hundreds of degrees. Then the clay of this reverts into mica materials. These crystals form together making the shape denser and harder and have planes of weakness. This happens from the crystals flattening perpendicular to the pressure. The pressure causes the rock to fracture along planes. Now this rock has taken the form of slate. At this point, slate can also morph from its shape to others. It can start out as phyllite, then schist and then gneiss, which are also other metamorphic rocks. | ||
| Slate is usually a grayish color that sometimes can blend with shades of red, maroon, and a dark green. Different organic materials in the rock can change the color. Iron can turn the slate a reddish purple. Chlorite can change it to a more green color. Its composition consists of Muscovite, chlorite, kaolinite, micas, quartz, and other materials. Its texture can vary from smooth to a rough and coarse texture. Slate has microscopic grains. If a certain slate is smoother and shinier, this means that it had a bigger re-crystalization stage. Otherwise, it had a shorter stage. Some slate material can be easily scratched, while others can be as hard as granite. | ||
| More about Metamorphic | ||
| Slates grains are found in a parallel order and are foliated. Foliated, meaning “leaf” in Latin, describes thin, flat layering found in metamorphic rock. Slate is a foliated rock. Its grains are also microscopic, making the texture of this rock more fine grained. Geologists often classify metamorphic rocks by the arrangement of the grains on the rock. | ||
| Slate is one of the most useful rocks today, along with marble. Slate, because it is flat and foliated, can split easily into flat pieces. This helps people use it for flooring, roofing, outdoors walkways, or chalkboards. Slate is also used as trim for stone buildings. | ||
| More about Marble | ||
| Sources http://geology.about.com/library/bl/images/blslate.htm http://seis.natsci.csulb.edu/bperry/metarock/SLATE.htmhttp://www.whfreeman.com/ENVIRONMENTALGEOLOGY/EXP1.HTM Image taken by Kailani |
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| This article has been sponsored by: Atlantic Inc. Furniture, media, and gaming |
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