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Lignite vs Oil shale


Oil shale vs Lignite


Definition

Definition
Lignite is a soft brownish coal which shows traces of plants and is intermediate between bituminous coal and peat   
Oil Shale is a fine-grained sedimentary rock from which oil is extracted   

History
  
  

Origin
France   
Unknown   

Discoverer
Unknown   
Unknown   

Etymology
From French, Latin lignum wood + -ite1   
From Old English scealu in its base sense of thing that divides or separate   

Class
Sedimentary Rocks   
Sedimentary Rocks   

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

Family
  
  

Group
Not Applicable   
Not Applicable   

Other Categories
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock   
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock   

Texture

Texture
Amorphous, Glassy   
Splintery   

Color
Black, Brown, Dark Brown, Grey, Light to Dark Grey   
Black, Brown, Buff, Green, Grey, Red, Yellow   

Maintenance
Less   
Less   

Durability
Durable   
Durable   

Water Resistant
No   
Yes   

Scratch Resistant
No   
No   

Stain Resistant
No   
Yes   

Wind Resistant
No   
No   

Acid Resistant
No   
No   

Appearance
Veined or Pebbled   
Muddy   

Uses

Architecture
  
  

Interior Uses
Not Yet Used   
Not Yet Used   

Exterior Uses
Not Yet Used   
Not Yet Used   

Other Architectural Uses
Not Yet Used   
Not Yet Used   

Industry
  
  

Construction Industry
for Road Aggregate, Steel Production   
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
Not Yet Used   
Artifacts   

Other Uses
  
  

Commercial Uses
Electricity Generation   
An Oil and Gas Reservoir   

Types

Types
Xyloid Lignite or Fossil Wood and Compact Lignite or Perfect Lignite   
Carbonate-rich Shale, Siliceous Shale and Cannel Shale   

Features
Generally rough to touch, Helps in production of Heat and Electricity, Used as fossil fuel   
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
Not Yet Used   
Not Yet Used   

Famous Sculptures
Not Applicable   
Not Applicable   

Pictographs
Used   
Not Used   

Petroglyphs
Used   
Not Used   

Figurines
Not Yet Used   
Not Yet Used   

Fossils
Present   
Present   

Formation

Formation
Coal formation takes place due to accumulation of plant debris in a swamp environment. The Coal formation process continues, as peat turns into lignite brown or black coal at increasing heat and pressure.   
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
Not Available   
Albite, Biotite, Calcite, Chert, Chlorite, Dolomite, Hematite, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Pyrite, Quartz, Silica, Sulfides   

Compound Content
Carbon, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Sulphur   
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, Mechanical Weathering   
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering   

Erosion
Yes   
Yes   

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

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
1   
2-3   

Grain Size
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained   
Very fine-grained   

Fracture
Conchoidal   
Not Available   

Streak
Black   
White   

Porosity
Highly Porous   
Highly Porous   

Luster
Dull to Vitreous to Submetallic   
Dull   

Cleavage
Non-Existent   
Slaty   

Toughness
Not Available   
2.6   

Specific Gravity
1.1-1.4   
2.2-2.8   

Transparency
Opaque   
Opaque   

Density
800-801 g/cm3   
2.4-2.8 g/cm3   

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
1.26 kJ/Kg K   
5
0.39 kJ/Kg K   
23

Resistance
Heat Resistant   
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant   

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  

Asia
Bangladesh, Burma, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Pakistan, Turkey, Vietnam   
Bangladesh, China, India, Israel, Jordan, Russia, Syria, Thailand, Turkey   

Africa
Botswana, Kenya, Morocco, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania   
Ethiopia, Kenya, Morocco, South Africa, Tanzania   

Europe
Belgium, Bulgaria, England, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Kosovo, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, The Czech Republic, Ukraine, United Kingdom   
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, Mexico, USA   
Canada, USA   

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

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

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

Definition >>
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Lignite 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 Lignite and Oil shale Reserves. Lignite is a soft brownish coal which shows traces of plants and is intermediate between bituminous coal and peat. 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 Lignite vs Oil shale information and Lignite vs Oil shale characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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Lignite 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. Lignite vs Oil shale characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Lignite and Properties of Oil shale. Learn more about Lignite vs Oil shale in the next section. The interior uses of Lignite include Not yet used whereas the interior uses of Oil shale include Not yet used. Due to some exceptional properties of Lignite and Oil shale, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Lignite in construction industry include For road aggregate, Steel production and that of Oil shale include Cement manufacture, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate, Serves as an oil and gas reservoir rock.

More about Lignite and Oil shale

Here you can know more about Lignite and Oil shale. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Lignite and Oil shale consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Lignite is not available 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 Sedimentary Rocks. When we have to compare Lignite vs Oil shale, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Lignite is available in black, brown, dark brown, grey, light to dark grey colors whereas, Oil shale is available in black, brown, buff, green, grey, red, yellow colors. Appearance of Lignite is Veined or Pebbled and that of Oil shale is Muddy. Properties of rock is another aspect for Lignite vs Oil shale. The hardness of Lignite is 1 and that of Oil shale is 2-3. The types of Lignite are Xyloid Lignite or Fossil Wood and Compact Lignite or Perfect Lignite 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 Lignite is black while that of Oil shale is white. The specific heat capacity of Lignite is 1.26 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.Lignite is heat resistant whereas Oil shale is heat resistant, impact resistant.

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