Home
Compare Rocks


Greywacke and Oil shale


Oil shale and Greywacke


Definition

Definition
Greywacke is defined as a dark coarse-grained sandstone rock which contains more than 15 per cent clay   
Oil Shale is a fine-grained sedimentary rock from which oil is extracted   

History
  
  

Discoverer
Unknown   
Unknown   

Etymology
From German Grauwacke, from grau grey + wacke   
From Old English scealu in its base sense of thing that divides or separate   

Class
Sedimentary Rocks   
Sedimentary Rocks   

Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Hard Rock   
Durable Rock, Soft Rock   

Family
  
  

Group
Not Applicable   
Not Applicable   

Other Categories
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock   
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock   

Texture

Texture
Clastic   
Splintery   

Color
Beige, Black, Brown, Colourless, Cream, Dark Brown, Green, Grey, Light Green, Light to Dark Grey, Pink, Red, White, Yellow   
Black, Brown, Buff, Green, Grey, Red, Yellow   

Maintenance
Less   
Less   

Durability
Durable   
Durable   

Water Resistant
Yes   
Yes   

Scratch Resistant
Yes   
No   

Stain Resistant
Yes   
Yes   

Wind Resistant
Yes   
No   

Acid Resistant
No   
No   

Appearance
Dull   
Muddy   

Uses

Architecture
  
  

Interior Uses
Decorative Aggregates, Floor Tiles, Flooring, Homes, Interior Decoration   
Not Yet Used   

Exterior Uses
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings, Paving Stone   
Not Yet Used   

Other Architectural Uses
Curbing, Whetstones   
Not Yet Used   

Industry
  
  

Construction Industry
Building houses or walls, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, 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, Sculpture, Small Figurines   
Artifacts   

Other Uses
  
  

Commercial Uses
As armour rock for sea walls, Petroleum reservoirs, Sea Defence, Tombstones   
An Oil and Gas Reservoir   

Types

Types
Not Available   
Carbonate-rich Shale, Siliceous Shale and Cannel Shale   

Features
Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Generally rough to touch, Non-vesicular, Veined   
Easily splits into thin plates, Generally rough to touch, Is one of the oldest rock, Very fine grained rock   

Archaeological Significance
  
  

Monuments
Not Yet Used   
Not Yet Used   

Famous Monuments
Not Applicable   
Not Applicable   

Sculpture
Used   
Not Yet Used   

Famous Sculptures
Data Not Available   
Not Applicable   

Pictographs
Not Used   
Not Used   

Petroglyphs
Not Used   
Not Used   

Figurines
Used   
Not Yet Used   

Fossils
Present   
Present   

Formation

Formation
Graywacke rock is a type of sedimentary rock, which is also known as immature sandstone, which is indurated, dark grey and consisting of poorly sorted angular to sub-angular, sand-sized grains.   
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.   

Composition
  
  

Mineral Content
Augite, Biotite, Calcite, Chlorite, Clay, Clay Minerals, Feldspar, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz   
Albite, Biotite, Calcite, Chert, Chlorite, Dolomite, Hematite, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Pyrite, Quartz, Silica, Sulfides   

Compound Content
Aluminium Oxide, NaCl, CaO, Chromium(III) Oxide, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, Potassium Oxide, Magnesium Carbonate, MgO, MnO, Sodium Oxide, Phosphorus Pentoxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide   
Ca, Fe, Mg, Silicon Dioxide, Sodium   

Transformation
  
  

Metamorphism
No   
No   

Types of Metamorphism
Not Applicable   
Not Applicable   

Weathering
Yes   
Yes   

Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering   
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering   

Erosion
Yes   
Yes   

Types of Erosion
Coastal Erosion, Sea Erosion, Wind Erosion   
Chemical Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion   

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
6-7   
2-3   

Grain Size
Angular and Fine   
Very fine-grained   

Fracture
Conchoidal   
Not Available   

Streak
White   
White   

Porosity
Highly Porous   
Highly Porous   

Luster
Dull   
Dull   

Cleavage
Perfect   
Slaty   

Toughness
2.6   
2.6   

Specific Gravity
2.2-2.8   
2.2-2.8   

Transparency
Opaque   
Opaque   

Density
2.6-2.61 g/cm3   
2.4-2.8 g/cm3   

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
Not Available   
0.39 kJ/Kg K   
23

Resistance
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant   
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant   

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  

Asia
China, India, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia, Uzbekistan   
Bangladesh, China, India, Israel, Jordan, Russia, Syria, Thailand, Turkey   

Africa
Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa   
Ethiopia, Kenya, Morocco, South Africa, Tanzania   

Europe
Austria, Denmark, Germany, Great Britain, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom   
Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Romania, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland   

Others
Greenland   
Greenland, Not Yet Found   

Deposits in Western Continents
  
  

North America
Canada, USA   
Canada, USA   

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

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

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

Summary >>
<< Reserves

All about Greywacke and Oil shale Properties

Know all about Greywacke and Oil shale properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Greywacke and Oil shale belong to Sedimentary Rocks.Texture of Greywacke is Clastic whereas that of Oil shale is Splintery. Greywacke appears Dull and Oil shale appears Muddy. The luster of Greywacke and Oil shale is dull. Greywacke is available in beige, black, brown, colourless, cream, dark brown, green, grey, light green, light to dark grey, pink, red, white, yellow colors whereas Oil shale is available in black, brown, buff, green, grey, red, yellow colors. The commercial uses of Greywacke are as armour rock for sea walls, petroleum reservoirs, sea defence, tombstones and that of Oil shale are an oil and gas reservoir.

Compare Sedimentary Rocks

Fossil Rocks

Fossil Rocks

» More Fossil Rocks

Compare Sedimentary Rocks

» More Compare Sedimentary Rocks