Definition
Oil Shale is a fine-grained sedimentary rock from which oil is extracted
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism
Discoverer
Unknown
Abraham Gottlob Werner
Etymology
From Old English scealu in its base sense of thing that divides or separate
From Old French esclate, from esclat (French éclat)
Class
Sedimentary Rocks
Metamorphic Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Soft Rock
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Other Categories
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Splintery
Foliated
Color
Black, Brown, Buff, Green, Grey, Red, Yellow
Black, Brown, Buff, Green, Light to Dark Grey, Purple, Red, Shades of Blue
Durability
Durable
Durable
Interior Uses
-
Bathrooms, Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Floor Tiles, Flooring, Homes, Hotels, Interior Decoration, Kitchens, Stair Treads
Exterior Uses
-
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration, Paving Stone
Other Architectural Uses
-
Curbing
Construction Industry
Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Serves as an Oil and Gas Reservoir rock
As Dimension Stone
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines
Commercial Uses
An Oil and Gas Reservoir
Blackboards, Commemorative Tablets, Laboratory bench tops, Standard material for the bed of Billiard table, Standard material for the beds of Pool and Snooker table, Tombstones, Used in aquariums, Writing Slates
Types
Carbonate-rich Shale, Siliceous Shale and Cannel Shale
Phyllite, Schist, and Slate
Features
Easily splits into thin plates, Generally rough to touch, Is one of the oldest rock, Very fine grained rock
Easily splits into thin plates, Surfaces are often shiny, Very fine grained rock
Archaeological Significance
Formation
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.
Slate is a low grade metamorphic rock that is generally formed by metamorphosis of mudstone or shale, under relatively low pressure and temperature conditions.
Mineral Content
Albite, Biotite, Calcite, Chert, Chlorite, Dolomite, Hematite, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Pyrite, Quartz, Silica, Sulfides
Apatite, Biotite, Chlorite, Feldspar, Graphite, Hematite, Kaolinite, Magnetite, Pyrite, Tourmaline, Zircon
Compound Content
Ca, Fe, Mg, Silicon Dioxide, Sodium
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, Potassium Oxide, MgO, Sodium Oxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide
Types of Metamorphism
-
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion
Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
Grain Size
Very fine-grained
Very fine-grained
Streak
White
Light to dark brown
Porosity
Highly Porous
Less Porous
Specific Gravity
2.2-2.8
2.65-2.8
Transparency
Opaque
Opaque
Density
2.4-2.8 g/cm3
2.6-2.8 g/cm3
Resistance
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
Bangladesh, China, India, Israel, Jordan, Russia, Syria, Thailand, Turkey
China, India, Turkey
Africa
Ethiopia, Kenya, Morocco, South Africa, Tanzania
-
Europe
Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Romania, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland
Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Spain, United Kingdom
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
Canada, USA
USA
South America
Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela
Brazil
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland, Victoria, Western Australia
-
All about Oil shale and Slate Properties
Know all about Oil shale and Slate properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Oil shale belongs to Sedimentary Rocks while Slate belongs to Metamorphic Rocks.Texture of Oil shale is Splintery whereas that of Slate is Foliated. Oil shale appears Muddy and Slate appears Dull. The luster of Oil shale and Slate is dull. Oil shale is available in black, brown, buff, green, grey, red, yellow colors whereas Slate is available in black, brown, buff, green, light to dark grey, purple, red, shades of blue colors. The commercial uses of Oil shale are an oil and gas reservoir and that of Slate are blackboards, commemorative tablets, laboratory bench tops, standard material for the bed of billiard table, standard material for the beds of pool and snooker table, tombstones, used in aquariums, writing slates.