Let's Learn All About Slate!
Slate is a versatile natural stone famous for its beauty, unique texture, and appearance. It is a dense, fine-grained, and foliated metamorphic rock. Slate consists of clay, sedimentary rock shale, or volcanic ash processed via low-grade metamorphism. This metamorphism refers to the changes in structure and composition of an existing rock from heat and pressure. Slate is a popular and widely used material in roofs, flooring, and flagging construction due to its strength, durability, and attractive appearance.
Slate composition
Though the primary composition includes mica, chlorite, and quartz, slate also contains biotite, chlorite, pyrite, and hematite. Some of the less frequently found minerals are graphite, magnetite, feldspar, kaolinite, tourmaline, and apatite. It may also contain some compound minerals, like iron oxide, sodium oxide, silicon dioxide, aluminum oxide, and titanium dioxide. Also, slate is easily cut into thin slabs.
Slate formation
When shale and fine quartz particles get buried in the earth's crust, underground heat or magma from molten rock and heavy pressure (arising from tectonic movements) metamorphose the clay minerals to form chlorite and mica. Slate is formed through foliation, which involves repetitive metamorphic rock layering. It comes naturally in thin, parallel foliated plates with 0.01mm or less space between every layer, allowing smooth and even cutting along the cleavage.
Hardness
On the Mohs scale, slate hardness ranges between 2.5 and 4, making it less in hardness than natural quartz or granite but equally harder than limestone or marble. Slate is a durable stone that is easy to transform into any shape.
Color
Slate color mostly ranges from light to dark grey. Most people associate slate with these shades. However, the prime factor that determines slate color is its mineral composition and mineral grain size. It is also found in red, green, blue, purple, white, gold, copper, black, brown, and mixed shades. Each state color comes with some hint of grey. It is an opaque stone and does not transmit light.
Popular slate uses
As a naturally found, aesthetically pleasing stone, slate is helpful for several purposes. It is widely used in the construction industry for making roof shingles and coverings as it comes with good insulating properties, is fireproof, stain, wind, and moisture resistant, and is long-lasting. Its strength, flexibility, durability, and versatility make it an excellent roofing material.
Slate is also used for interior flooring, making tombstones, billiard tables, chalkboards, tabletops, fountains, pavements, swimming pools, patios, utensils, whetstone, landscaping, paving tiles, commemorative tablets, cladding, and other decorative aggregates.
Where is slate found?
Wales, Lake District, and Cornwall in the United Kingdom, Vermont, Pennsylvania, New York, and Virginia in the United States, Portugal, Spain, Brazil, Italy, and Germany are famous for slate mines.
Here are some more facts about slate:
The majority of slate mined through the world is used for roofing.
Slate is expensive to both manufacture and install.
It offers a shiny wet-like look when exposed to the sun.
Slate is mined from cliff sides, in pits, and underground.
Slate is a beautiful, popular, practical, and easy-to-maintain natural stone widely used in daily life. Look for a natural stone supplier nearby if you want a high-quality slate.
North Valley Stone Supply LLC is a family-owned and operated hardscape materials company serving Phoenix and surrounding areas. We strive to bring our customers natural stone and quality materials at affordable prices. Call us today at (623)244-8657.