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Slate Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.
Slate facts for kids
Slate is a metamorphic rock. It is formed from shale by being under pressure and moderate heat. Shale itself is formed from muddy clay, splits into thin plates. This characteristic splitting is carried over into slate. Schist is a rather similar type of metamorphic rock.
Uses
Roofing slates are used in many countries, though ceramic tiles have gradually taken over. Heavier slates can be used for flooring (inside and outside). Slates are used for the cladding (surface skin) of buildings, and sometimes in Wales there are whole buildings of slate. Gravestones and memorial plaques are another use. Thick slate is used for billiard tables and laboratory bench tops, where its resistance to temperature changes and chemicals is useful. Slate was used for blackboards and writing tablets in schools.
Images for kids
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Slate roof
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Slate-faced church and homes in Wurzbach, Thüringen, Germany
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Fine slate tile work, Saint Leonhard's Church, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
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Slates with holes for fixing, viewed from below. Photographed in Tremedda, Cornwall, a farm in England
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Exhibition Slate mine at Fell, Germany.
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Historical Pit Vogelsberg 1 at Fell
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Mules carrying slate roof tiles on their backs. Dharamsala, India. 1993
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Slate gravestone in Hingham, Massachusetts
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John Betjeman's grave with inscription on slate at St Enodoc's Church, Trebetherick, in Cornwall
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"Slate Cone" in Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
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Slate serving tray