Hull Geological Society

Common urban rocks -

(a work in progress)

Slate

  Many of the houses in Hull are roofed with slate. Slate is a metamorphic rock that has a well developed cleavage that splits into fairly thin flat pieces. It formed by the compression and heating of clays, shales and mudrocks. The roofing slates on older buildings come from Wales. Cheaper roofing slates are now imported from Iberia and China.

Slate can be used for gravestones and can retain a fine carved inscription of a long time.

Green slates come from the Lake District, and when used for roofing tend to be thicker.

Slates from China are now being used for flooring. They tend to be shaley and have some orange weathering.

Copyright - Mike Horne and Hull Geological Society 2020

Registered Educational Charity No. 229147

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