Definition
Oil Shale is a fine-grained sedimentary rock from which oil is extracted
Banded iron formation are distinctive units of sedimentary rock that are almost always of Precambrian age
Origin
Unknown
Western Australia, Minnesota
Discoverer
Unknown
Unknown
Etymology
From Old English scealu in its base sense of thing that divides or separate
From its formation process
Class
Sedimentary Rocks
Sedimentary Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Soft Rock
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Group
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Other Categories
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Splintery
Banded, Trellis
Color
Black, Brown, Buff, Green, Grey, Red, Yellow
Red, Reddish Brown
Durability
Durable
Durable
Appearance
Muddy
Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny
Interior Uses
Not Yet Used
Decorative Aggregates, Homes
Exterior Uses
Not Yet Used
Paving Stone, Office Buildings
Other Architectural Uses
Not Yet Used
Curbing, Whetstones
Construction Industry
Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Serves as an Oil and Gas Reservoir rock
As Dimension Stone, Used for flooring, stair treads, borders and window sills.
Medical Industry
Not Yet Used
Not Yet Used
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts
Artifacts
Commercial Uses
An Oil and Gas Reservoir
As a touchstone, Cemetery Markers, Creating Artwork
Types
Carbonate-rich Shale, Siliceous Shale and Cannel Shale
Algoma-type , Lake Superior-type, Superior-type and Taconite
Features
Easily splits into thin plates, Generally rough to touch, Is one of the oldest rock, Very fine grained rock
Is one of the oldest 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
Not Used
Not Used
Petroglyphs
Not Used
Not Used
Figurines
Not Yet Used
Not Yet Used
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.
The banded iron layers are formed in sea water when oxygen is released by photosynthetic cyano-bacteria. The oxygen then combines with dissolved iron in ocean to form insoluble iron oxides, which precipitated out, forming a thin layer of banded iron formation on ocean floor.
Mineral Content
Albite, Biotite, Calcite, Chert, Chlorite, Dolomite, Hematite, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Pyrite, Quartz, Silica, Sulfides
Hematite, Magnetite, Quartz
Compound Content
Ca, Fe, Mg, Silicon Dioxide, Sodium
Fe, Iron(III) Oxide, Silicon Dioxide
Types of Metamorphism
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Chemical Weathering
Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion
Coastal Erosion, Wind Erosion
Grain Size
Very fine-grained
Large and Coarse Grained
Fracture
Not Available
Uneven, Splintery or Conchoidal
Porosity
Highly Porous
Highly Porous
Specific Gravity
2.2-2.8
5.0-5.3
Transparency
Opaque
Translucent to Opaque
Density
2.4-2.8 g/cm3
Not Available
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, Iran, Iraq, Oman, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam
Africa
Ethiopia, Kenya, Morocco, South Africa, Tanzania
Kenya, Morocco, South Africa, Tanzania
Europe
Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Romania, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland
Austria, France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom
Others
Greenland, Not Yet Found
Greenland, Mid-Atlantic Ridge
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
Canada, USA
Canada, Mexico, USA
South America
Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela
Bolivia, Brazil
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland, Victoria, Western Australia
New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia
Oil shale vs Banded iron formation 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. Oil shale vs Banded iron formation characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Oil shale and Properties of Banded iron formation. Learn more about Oil shale vs Banded iron formation in the next section. The interior uses of Oil shale include Not yet used whereas the interior uses of Banded iron formation include Decorative aggregates and Homes. Due to some exceptional properties of Oil shale and Banded iron formation, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Oil shale in construction industry include Cement manufacture, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate, Serves as an oil and gas reservoir rock and that of Banded iron formation include As dimension stone, Used for flooring, stair treads, borders and window sills..
More about Oil shale and Banded iron formation
Here you can know more about Oil shale and Banded iron formation. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Oil shale and Banded iron formation consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Oil shale includes Albite, Biotite, Calcite, Chert, Chlorite, Dolomite, Hematite, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Pyrite, Quartz, Silica, Sulfides and mineral content of Banded iron formation includes Hematite, Magnetite, Quartz. You can also check out the list of all Sedimentary Rocks. When we have to compare Oil shale vs Banded iron formation, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Oil shale is available in black, brown, buff, green, grey, red, yellow colors whereas, Banded iron formation is available in red, reddish brown colors. Appearance of Oil shale is Muddy and that of Banded iron formation is Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny. Properties of rock is another aspect for Oil shale vs Banded iron formation. The hardness of Oil shale is 2-3 and that of Banded iron formation is 5.5-6. The types of Oil shale are Carbonate-rich Shale, Siliceous Shale and Cannel Shale whereas types of Banded iron formation are Algoma-type , Lake Superior-type, Superior-type and Taconite. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Oil shale and Banded iron formation is white. The specific heat capacity of Oil shale is 0.39 kJ/Kg K and that of Banded iron formation is 3.20 kJ/Kg K. Depending on the properties like hardness, toughness, specific heat capacity, porosity etc., rocks are resistant to heat, wear, impact, etc.Oil shale is heat resistant, impact resistant whereas Banded iron formation is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant.