Metamorffaidd. Nature, Environment and Perspectives. Metamorffiadd (Metamorphic) rocks arise from the transformation of existing rock to new types of rock, in a process called metamorphism. The original rock is subjected to temperatures greater than 150 to 200 °C (300 to 400 °F) and, often, elevated pressure of 100 megapascal or more, causing profound physical or chemical changes. During this process, the rock remains mostly in the solid state, but gradually recrystallises to a new texture or mineral composition. An example of Metamorphic rock is slate. Within this project I am investigating the mountains of the Snowdon massif in North Wales where slate mining and quarrying have transformed the landscape over the last 200 years. The quarries and mines are monumental in scale, comprising of stepped hillside workings, deep pits and cavernous underground chambers. In its heyday in the 19th century Welsh quarries supplied 92% of Britains slate and a third of the world output of roofing slate. The largest quarries were at Dinorwig, Penryn, and the nearby town of Blaenau Ffestiniog. Blaenau Ffestiniog nestles between the Moelwynion mountains, winding its way along the edges of the rocks. The town grew to support workers in the local slate mines and became known as the Slate capital of the world. It had a population of 12,000 when the Slate industry was at its peak, now with the slate industry virtually gone it only has a population of 4000. Since the decline in the slate industry the town has struggled with unemployment and poverty. The town itself is dominated by the dark rocks and slate waste left from the quarrying. Victorian slate extraction techniques generated vast amounts of slate waste, for every ton of finished slate produced, approximately nine tons of waste rock are extracted. Today the slate waste is visible surrounding the town. Due to the nature of the rocks its very difficult for nature to reestablish itself so they remain mostly barren of any kind of plant life. Recently however the slate landscapes surrounding the town have been given UNESCO World Heritage status and along with some of the other nearby industrial areas the town now relies on tourism as its main source of employment. Through the layers of history on display in this area of the Welsh landscape, my research focuses on the changing topography of the land, the metamorphosis from traditional, sparsely populated, and a predominately agricultural environment. To the large scale entropic forces of the slate industry that changed the look of the landscape forever. To its post industrial landscape now that the slate industry has all but disappeared. Richard Chivers.