Soapstone

Oil shale

Soapstone vs Oil shale

Soapstone

Oil shale

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1 Definition

1.1 Definition

It is a metamorphic magnesium rich rock because it is composed of the mineral talc

Oil Shale is a fine-grained sedimentary rock from which oil is extracted

1.2 History

1.2.1 Origin

USA

Unknown

1.2.2 Discoverer

Unknown

1.3 Etymology

From 17th century, because of its greasy feel and use like a soap

From Old English scealu in its base sense of thing that divides or separate

1.4 Class

Metamorphic Rocks

Sedimentary Rocks

1.4.1 Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Soft Rock

1.5 Family

1.5.1 Group

Not Applicable

1.6 Other Categories

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

2 Texture

2.1 Texture

Polished

Splintery

2.2 Color

Black, Black to Grey, Green, Grey

Black, Brown, Buff, Green, Grey, Red, Yellow

2.3 Maintenance

Less

2.4 Durability

Durable

2.4.1 Water Resistant

✔ ✘

81% Metamorphic Rocks Rocks have it !

✔ ✘

59% Sedimentary Rocks Rocks have it !

2.4.2 Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

65% Metamorphic Rocks Rocks have it !

✔ ✘

62% Sedimentary Rocks Rocks have it !

2.4.3 Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

42% Metamorphic Rocks Rocks have it !

✔ ✘

43% Sedimentary Rocks Rocks have it !

2.4.4 Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

19% Metamorphic Rocks Rocks have it !

✔ ✘

38% Sedimentary Rocks Rocks have it !

2.4.5 Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

15% Metamorphic Rocks Rocks have it !

✔ ✘

22% Sedimentary Rocks Rocks have it !

2.5 Appearance

Dull, Banded and Foilated

Muddy

3 Uses

3.1 Architecture

3.1.1 Interior Uses

Bathrooms, Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration

Not Yet Used

3.1.2 Exterior Uses

As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration

Not Yet Used

3.1.3 Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

Not Yet Used

3.2 Industry

3.2.1 Construction Industry

Manufacture of Magnesium and Dolomite Refractories

Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Serves as an Oil and Gas Reservoir rock

3.2.2 Medical Industry

Taken as a Supplement for Calcium or Magnesium

Not Yet Used

3.3 Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Jewellery, Monuments, Sculpture

Artifacts

3.4 Other Uses

3.4.1 Commercial Uses

Cemetery Markers, Creating Artwork, Gemstone, Jewelry, Manufacture of Soap, Solvents, Dyes, Plastics and Fibres, Production of Lime, Source of Magnesia (MgO)

An Oil and Gas Reservoir

4 Types

4.1 Types

Not Available

Carbonate-rich Shale, Siliceous Shale and Cannel Shale

4.2 Features

Host Rock for Lead

Easily splits into thin plates, Generally rough to touch, Is one of the oldest rock, Very fine grained rock

4.3 Archaeological Significance

4.3.1 Monuments

Used

Not Yet Used

4.3.2 Famous Monuments

Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, Stonehenge in English county of Wiltshire

Not Applicable

4.3.3 Sculpture

Used

Not Yet Used

4.3.4 Famous Sculptures

Data Not Available

Not Applicable

4.3.5 Pictographs

Used

Not Used

4.3.6 Petroglyphs

Used

Not Used

4.3.7 Figurines

Used

Not Yet Used

4.4 Fossils

Absent

Present

5 Formation

5.1 Formation

Soapstone is a talc-schist, which is a type of metamorphic rock and it is largely composed of the mineral talc and is thus rich inmagnesium.

Oil Shale forms on the beds of seas and lakes and its formation starts with the organic debris settling and accumulating at the bottom of a lake or sea which are then transformed into rock with the help of high temperature and pressure.

5.2 Composition

5.2.1 Mineral Content

Albite, Apatite, Biotite, Calcite, Carbonate, Clay Minerals, Hornblende, Ilmenite, Micas, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz

Albite, Biotite, Calcite, Chert, Chlorite, Dolomite, Hematite, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Pyrite, Quartz, Silica, Sulfides

5.2.2 Compound Content

CaO, Mg, MgO

Ca, Fe, Mg, Silicon Dioxide, Sodium

5.3 Transformation

5.3.1 Metamorphism

✔ ✘

50% Metamorphic Rocks Rocks have it !

✔ ✘

19% Sedimentary Rocks Rocks have it !

5.3.2 Types of Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Hydrothermal Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism

Not Applicable

5.3.3 Weathering

✔ ✘

65% Metamorphic Rocks Rocks have it !

✔ ✘

78% Sedimentary Rocks Rocks have it !

5.3.4 Types of Weathering

Not Applicable

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

5.3.5 Erosion

✔ ✘

77% Metamorphic Rocks Rocks have it !

✔ ✘

86% Sedimentary Rocks Rocks have it !

5.3.6 Types of Erosion

Not Applicable

Chemical Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion

6 Properties

6.1 Physical Properties

6.1.1 Hardness

2-3

6.1.2 Grain Size

Fine Grained

Very fine-grained

6.1.3 Fracture

Conchoidal

Not Available

6.1.4 Streak

Black

White

6.1.5 Porosity

Less Porous

Highly Porous

6.1.6 Luster

Greasy

Dull

6.1.7 Compressive Strength

Flint

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▶

▼

225.00 N/mm²

Rank: 7 (Overall)▶

Not Available

Rank: N/A (Overall)▶

▲

Obsidian

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▶

175 (Granite)

◀ ▶ ADD ⊕

6.1.8 Cleavage

Perfect

Slaty

6.1.9 Toughness

2.6

6.1.10 Specific Gravity

2.86

2.2-2.8

6.1.11 Transparency

Opaque

6.1.12 Density

2.8-2.9 g/cm³

2.4-2.8 g/cm³

6.2 Thermal Properties

6.2.1 Specific Heat Capacity

Banded iron for..

⊕

▶

▼

0.88 kJ/Kg K

Rank: 13 (Overall)▶

0.39 kJ/Kg K

Rank: 23 (Overall)▶

▲

Granulite

⊕

▶

1.09 (Travertine)

◀ ▶ ADD ⊕

6.2.2 Resistance

Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant

7 Reserves

7.1 Deposits in Eastern Continents

7.1.1 Asia

China, India, Indonesia, Japan, North Korea, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Thailand

Bangladesh, China, India, Israel, Jordan, Russia, Syria, Thailand, Turkey

7.1.2 Africa

Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, South Africa, Western Africa

Ethiopia, Kenya, Morocco, South Africa, Tanzania

7.1.3 Europe

Austria, England, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom

Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Romania, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland

7.1.4 Others

Not Yet Found

Greenland, Not Yet Found

7.2 Deposits in Western Continents

7.2.1 North America

Canada, USA

7.2.2 South America

Colombia

Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela

7.3 Deposits in Oceania Continent

7.3.1 Australia

Central Australia, New Zealand, Queensland

New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland, Victoria, Western Australia

Soapstone vs Oil shale Information

Earth’s outer layer is covered by rocks and these rocks have different physical and chemical properties. As two rocks are not same, it’s fun to compare them. You can also know more about Soapstone and Oil shale Reserves. It is a metamorphic magnesium rich rock because it is composed of the mineral talc. Oil Shale is a fine-grained sedimentary rock from which oil is extracted. These rocks are composed of many distinct minerals. The process of formation of rocks is different for various rocks. Rocks are quarried from many years for various purposes. You can check out Soapstone vs Oil shale information and Soapstone vs Oil shale characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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Soapstone vs Oil shale Characteristics

Though some rocks look identical, they have certain characteristics which distinguish them from others. Characteristics of rocks include texture, appearance, color, fracture, streak, hardness etc. Soapstone vs Oil shale characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Soapstone and Properties of Oil shale. Learn more about Soapstone vs Oil shale in the next section. The interior uses of Soapstone include Bathrooms, Decorative aggregates, Homes and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Oil shale include Not yet used. Due to some exceptional properties of Soapstone and Oil shale, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Soapstone in construction industry include Manufacture of magnesium and dolomite refractories and that of Oil shale include Cement manufacture, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate, Serves as an oil and gas reservoir rock.

More about Soapstone and Oil shale

Here you can know more about Soapstone and Oil shale. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Soapstone and Oil shale consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Soapstone includes Albite, Apatite, Biotite, Calcite, Carbonate, Clay Minerals, Hornblende, Ilmenite, Micas, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz and mineral content of Oil shale includes Albite, Biotite, Calcite, Chert, Chlorite, Dolomite, Hematite, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Pyrite, Quartz, Silica, Sulfides. You can also check out the list of all Metamorphic Rocks. When we have to compare Soapstone vs Oil shale, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Soapstone is available in black, black to grey, green, grey colors whereas, Oil shale is available in black, brown, buff, green, grey, red, yellow colors. Appearance of Soapstone is Dull, Banded and Foilated and that of Oil shale is Muddy. Properties of rock is another aspect for Soapstone vs Oil shale. The hardness of Soapstone is 1 and that of Oil shale is 2-3. The types of Soapstone are Not Available whereas types of Oil shale are Carbonate-rich Shale, Siliceous Shale and Cannel Shale. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Soapstone is black while that of Oil shale is white. The specific heat capacity of Soapstone is 0.88 kJ/Kg K and that of Oil shale is 0.39 kJ/Kg K. Depending on the properties like hardness, toughness, specific heat capacity, porosity etc., rocks are resistant to heat, wear, impact, etc.Soapstone is heat resistant, pressure resistant whereas Oil shale is heat resistant, impact resistant.