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
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
  
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
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
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
  
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
  
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
  
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.