Harkness Cemetery, Pelham Massachusetts. A Small Roadside Cemetery Filled with Slate Gravestones.

Описание: I have become fascinated with the geomorphology of the rocks we use as gravestones in our cemeteries. Whether the gravestone rock is granite, marble, limestone, sandstone, or any other type of lithified material, I am continuing to learn about the substances we use as gravestones.

Recently, Slate Grave Markers have caught my attention. Before Slate becomes Slate, it is classified as Shale. Shale is a sedimentary rock. Shale is a sedimentary rock that has been laid down in layers called Bedding Planes. If Shale undergoes a metamorphic process (through heat or pressure or both heat and pressure) then it becomes Slate. The action of the metamorphic process causes crystallization in a foliated pattern called a Cleavage Plane).

Some Slate Gravestones are well crystallized while other Slate Gravestones are poorly crystallized. The degree to which crystallization has occurred is a function of the amount of heat and pressure and the length of time of the process. The greater the heat, the greater the pressure, and the greater the length of time, the higher the quality of the stone.

Bedding Planes and Cleavage Planes are not NECESSARILY on the same plane. THIS is where my fascination lies.

Slate is very vulnerable to delamination. If I can better understand the process behind Bedding and Foliation, maybe I can help solve this very prevalent problem that affects virtually all Slate Gravestones.

I hope you enjoy this quick video tour of Harkness Cemetery. This small cemetery in Pelham, Massachusetts is filled with Slate Gravestones.

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