Oil shale

Chert

Oil shale vs Chert

Oil shale

Chert

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Definition

Oil Shale is a fine-grained sedimentary rock from which oil is extracted

Chert is a hard, dark, opaque sedimentary rock which is composed of silica with an amorphous fine-grained texture

History

Origin

Discoverer

Unknown

Etymology

From Old English scealu in its base sense of thing that divides or separate

From flint-like quartz, 1670s, of unknown origin- a local term, which has been taken into geological use

Class

Sedimentary Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Soft Rock

Durable Rock, Hard Rock

Family

Group

Other Categories

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Splintery

Banded, Rough

Color

Black, Brown, Buff, Green, Grey, Red, Yellow

Black, Brown, Green, Grey, Red, White

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Muddy

Glassy or Pearly

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Homes

Exterior Uses

As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Serves as an Oil and Gas Reservoir rock

Arrowheads, Construction Aggregate, Cutting Tool, Spear Points

Medical Industry

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts

Artifacts, Monuments

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

An Oil and Gas Reservoir

Creating Artwork, Gemstone, In fire-starting tools, Jewelry, To ignite fire, Used in flintlock firearms

Types

Carbonate-rich Shale, Siliceous Shale and Cannel Shale

Flint, Jasper, Radiolarite, Common Chert, Chalcedony, Agate, Onyx, Opal, Magadi-type Chert, Porcelanite, Siliceous Sinter

Features

Easily splits into thin plates, Generally rough to touch, Is one of the oldest rock, Very fine grained rock

Clasts are smooth to touch, Easily splits into thin plates, Has High structural resistance against erosion and climate

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

Famous Monuments

Sculpture

Famous Sculptures

Pictographs

Petroglyphs

Figurines

Fossils

Present

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.

Chert forms when microcrystals of silicon dioxide grow within soft sediments that become limestone or chalk. The chert formation can be either of chemical or biological origin.

Composition

Mineral Content

Albite, Biotite, Calcite, Chert, Chlorite, Dolomite, Hematite, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Pyrite, Quartz, Silica, Sulfides

Quartz, Silicon

Compound Content

Ca, Fe, Mg, Silicon Dioxide, Sodium

Silicon Dioxide

Transformation

Metamorphism

✔ ✘

Types of Metamorphism

Weathering

✔ ✘

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Erosion

✔ ✘

Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion

Chemical Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

2-36.5-7

1 7

👆🏻

Grain Size

Very fine-grained

Fracture

Uneven, Splintery or Conchoidal

Streak

White

Porosity

Highly Porous

Luster

Dull

Waxy and Dull

Compressive Strength

-450.00 N/mm²

0.15 450

👆🏻

Cleavage

Slaty

Toughness

2.6

1.5

Specific Gravity

2.2-2.82.5-2.8

0 8.4

👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque

Translucent to Opaque

Density

2.4-2.8 g/cm³2.7 g/cm³

0 1400

👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.39 kJ/Kg K0.74 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

Bangladesh, China, India, Israel, Jordan, Russia, Syria, Thailand, Turkey

China, India, Iran, Japan, 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

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 Chert 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 Oil shale and Chert Reserves. Oil Shale is a fine-grained sedimentary rock from which oil is extracted. Chert is a hard, dark, opaque sedimentary rock which is composed of silica with an amorphous fine-grained texture. 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 Oil shale vs Chert information and Oil shale vs Chert characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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Oil shale vs Chert 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 Chert characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Oil shale and Properties of Chert. Learn more about Oil shale vs Chert in the next section. The interior uses of Oil shale include whereas the interior uses of Chert include Decorative aggregates and Homes. Due to some exceptional properties of Oil shale and Chert, 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 Chert include Arrowheads, Construction aggregate, Cutting tool, Spear points.

More about Oil shale and Chert

Here you can know more about Oil shale and Chert. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Oil shale and Chert 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 Chert includes Quartz, Silicon. You can also check out the list of all Sedimentary Rocks. When we have to compare Oil shale vs Chert, 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, Chert is available in black, brown, green, grey, red, white colors. Appearance of Oil shale is Muddy and that of Chert is Glassy or Pearly. Properties of rock is another aspect for Oil shale vs Chert. The hardness of Oil shale is 2-3 and that of Chert is 6.5-7. The types of Oil shale are Carbonate-rich Shale, Siliceous Shale and Cannel Shale whereas types of Chert are Flint, Jasper, Radiolarite, Common Chert, Chalcedony, Agate, Onyx, Opal, Magadi-type Chert, Porcelanite, Siliceous Sinter. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Oil shale and Chert is white. The specific heat capacity of Oil shale is 0.39 kJ/Kg K and that of Chert is 0.74 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 Chert is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant.