ABSTRACT
Slate is a rock derived from fine-grained sediments (mudstones or siltstones, or in some cases volcanic tuffs), which have undergone low-grade metamorphism and deformation as results of tectonic compression. Slate comprises a high proportion of platy phyllosilicate minerals that align during deformation, imparting a cleavage to the rock along which it can be split into thin sheets (slaty cleavage).
