Occurrence of slate in Perlis and its significance

Abstract

More than 100 m thick of slate is exposed at an earth quarry of Bukit Tuntung, Pauh, Perlis. The slate comprises quartz, chlorite and muscovite and shows very distinct cleavages. No fossils were discovered from the slate. It is overlain by the bedded chert which is considered as the lowermost part of the Kubang Pasu Formation. The chert contains Early Carboniferous Radiolarians i.e. Stigmosphaerostylus variospina (Won) and Callela hexactina Won. It can be interpreted that the slate is older than Early Carboniferous. No limestone of the Setul Formation was observed in the vicinity of Pauh. It is therefore, more appropriate to assign the slate as the topmost of Mahang Formation.