Slate Islands
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
-
This article refers to the Scottish Slate Islands. There is also a group of islands known as the Slate Islands in Lake Superior.
The Slate Islands are an island group in the Inner Hebrides, lying immediately off the west coast of Scotland, north of Jura and southwest of Oban. The main islands are Seil, Easdale, Luing, Shuna, Torsay and Belnahua. Scarba, which lies nearby, is not usually included.
The underlying geology of the islands is slate, which was quarried widely until the mid-twentieth century. Quarry working began in 1630 and at the turn of the 20th century, the quarries were yielding some eight million slates every year.
The Garvellachs lie immediately southwest of the islands.
