Slate mining. Workers excavating an underground chamber at a slate mine. Explosive charges will be placed in the holes to blast slabs of slate out of

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Slate mining. Workers excavating an underground chamber at a slate mine. Explosive charges will be placed in the holes to blast slabs of slate out of the wall. Slate is a fine-grained metamorphic rock that has very distinct cleavage planes. This makes it very easy to split into sheets. Once removed the large slabs are taken by truck to a mill where they are split and cut into smaller sizes. Its principal use is to make roofing tiles, although it is also used to make large objects such as optical benches and billiard tables.

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Size: 3650px × 2405px
Photo credit: © PATRICK LANDMANN/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

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