Definition
Harzburgite is a plutonic rock of the peridotite group consisting largely of orthopyroxene and olivine
Oil Shale is a fine-grained sedimentary rock from which oil is extracted
Discoverer
Unknown
Unknown
Etymology
From the name of a town in Harzburg, Germany
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, 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
Not Yet Used
Construction Industry
As Dimension Stone, Cobblestones
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, 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
Harzburgite is a fine-grained, hard rock which is a type of metasomatite, essentially altered basalt. It forms with or without crystallization, either below the surface as intrusive rocks or on the surface as extrusive rocks.
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, Fe, Mg, Potassium, Silicon Dioxide, Sodium, Titanium Dioxide
Ca, Fe, Mg, Silicon Dioxide, Sodium
Types of Metamorphism
Impact Metamorphism
Not Applicable
Types of Weathering
Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Sea Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion
Grain Size
Coarse Grained
Very fine-grained
Fracture
Irregular
Not Available
Porosity
Less Porous
Highly Porous
Specific Gravity
3-3.01
2.2-2.8
Transparency
Translucent to Opaque
Opaque
Density
3.1-3.4 g/cm3
2.4-2.8 g/cm3
Resistance
Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
Japan, Oman
Bangladesh, China, India, Israel, Jordan, Russia, Syria, Thailand, Turkey
Africa
South Africa
Ethiopia, Kenya, Morocco, South Africa, Tanzania
Europe
France, Germany, Italy, Venezuela
Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Romania, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland
Others
Hawaii Islands, Mid-Atlantic Ridge
Greenland, Not Yet Found
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
Canada, USA
Canada, USA
South America
Not Yet Found
Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
Not Yet Found
New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland, Victoria, Western Australia
Harzburgite 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. Harzburgite vs Oil shale characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Harzburgite and Properties of Oil shale. Learn more about Harzburgite vs Oil shale in the next section. The interior uses of Harzburgite include Decorative aggregates, Homes and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Oil shale include Not yet used. Due to some exceptional properties of Harzburgite and Oil shale, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Harzburgite in construction industry include As dimension stone, Cobblestones and that of Oil shale include Cement manufacture, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate, Serves as an oil and gas reservoir rock.
More about Harzburgite and Oil shale
Here you can know more about Harzburgite and Oil shale. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Harzburgite and Oil shale consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Harzburgite 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 Harzburgite vs Oil shale, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Harzburgite is available in dark greenish - grey colors whereas, Oil shale is available in black, brown, buff, green, grey, red, yellow colors. Appearance of Harzburgite is Rough and Shiny and that of Oil shale is Muddy. Properties of rock is another aspect for Harzburgite vs Oil shale. The hardness of Harzburgite is 5.5-6 and that of Oil shale is 2-3. The types of Harzburgite 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 Harzburgite and Oil shale is white. The specific heat capacity of Harzburgite 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.Harzburgite is heat resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant whereas Oil shale is heat resistant, impact resistant.