Definition
Dunite is a green to brownish coarse-grained igneous rock mainly consisting of olivine
Oil Shale is a fine-grained sedimentary rock from which oil is extracted
Origin
New Zealand
Unknown
Discoverer
Ferdinand von Hochstetter
Unknown
Etymology
From the name of Dun Mountain, New Zealand, + -ite1
From Old English scealu in its base sense of thing that divides or separate
Class
Igneous Rocks
Sedimentary Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Durable Rock, Soft Rock
Group
Plutonic
Not Applicable
Other Categories
Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Phaneritic
Splintery
Color
Dark Greenish - Grey
Black, Brown, Buff, Green, Grey, Red, Yellow
Durability
Durable
Durable
Appearance
Rough and Shiny
Muddy
Interior Uses
Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration
Not Yet Used
Exterior Uses
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration, Paving Stone
Not Yet Used
Other Architectural Uses
Curbing
Not Yet Used
Construction Industry
As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar
Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Serves as an Oil and Gas Reservoir rock
Medical Industry
Not Yet Used
Not Yet Used
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines
Artifacts
Commercial Uses
Creating Artwork, Gemstone, Jewelry, Source of Chromite, Platinum, Nickel and Garnet, Source of Diamonds
An Oil and Gas Reservoir
Types
Not Available
Carbonate-rich Shale, Siliceous Shale and Cannel Shale
Features
Constitutes upper part of the Earth's mantle, Generally rough to touch, Host rock for Diamond, Is one of the oldest rock
Easily splits into thin plates, Generally rough to touch, Is one of the oldest rock, Very fine grained rock
Archaeological Significance
Monuments
Used
Not Yet Used
Famous Monuments
Data Not Available
Not Applicable
Sculpture
Used
Not Yet Used
Famous Sculptures
Data Not Available
Not Applicable
Pictographs
Used
Not Used
Petroglyphs
Used
Not Used
Figurines
Used
Not Yet Used
Formation
Dunite is a plutonic ultramafic igneous rock consisting almost m olivine. It can be formed in two ways.
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.
Mineral Content
Amphibole, Chromite, Garnet, Magnesium, Olivine, Phlogopite, Plagioclase, Pyroxene
Albite, Biotite, Calcite, Chert, Chlorite, Dolomite, Hematite, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Pyrite, Quartz, Silica, Sulfides
Compound Content
Ca, CaO, Fe, Potassium, Silicon Dioxide, Sodium, Titanium Dioxide
Ca, Fe, Mg, Silicon Dioxide, Sodium
Types of Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism
Not Applicable
Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Types of Erosion
Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Water Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion
Grain Size
Coarse Grained
Very fine-grained
Fracture
Irregular
Not Available
Porosity
Less Porous
Highly Porous
Compressive Strength
Not Available
Specific Gravity
3-3.01
2.2-2.8
Transparency
Translucent to Opaque
Opaque
Density
2.84-2.85 g/cm3
2.4-2.8 g/cm3
Resistance
Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
China, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Russia, South Korea, Thailand, Turkey
Bangladesh, China, India, Israel, Jordan, Russia, Syria, Thailand, Turkey
Africa
Morocco, South Africa
Ethiopia, Kenya, Morocco, South Africa, Tanzania
Europe
Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Kazakhstan, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Switzerland, Venezuela
Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Romania, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland
Others
Not Yet Found
Greenland, Not Yet Found
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
Canada, USA
Canada, USA
South America
Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela
Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
New Zealand, Western Australia
New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland, Victoria, Western Australia
Dunite 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. Dunite vs Oil shale characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Dunite and Properties of Oil shale. Learn more about Dunite vs Oil shale in the next section. The interior uses of Dunite include Decorative aggregates and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Oil shale include Not yet used. Due to some exceptional properties of Dunite and Oil shale, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Dunite in construction industry include As dimension stone, Cement manufacture, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate, Making natural cement, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar and that of Oil shale include Cement manufacture, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate, Serves as an oil and gas reservoir rock.
More about Dunite and Oil shale
Here you can know more about Dunite and Oil shale. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Dunite and Oil shale consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Dunite includes Amphibole, Chromite, Garnet, Magnesium, Olivine, Phlogopite, Plagioclase, Pyroxene 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 Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Dunite vs Oil shale, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Dunite is available in dark greenish - grey colors whereas, Oil shale is available in black, brown, buff, green, grey, red, yellow colors. Appearance of Dunite is Rough and Shiny and that of Oil shale is Muddy. Properties of rock is another aspect for Dunite vs Oil shale. The hardness of Dunite is 3.5-4 and that of Oil shale is 2-3. The types of Dunite 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 Dunite and Oil shale is white. The specific heat capacity of Dunite is 1.25 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.Dunite is heat resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant whereas Oil shale is heat resistant, impact resistant.