Definition
Oil Shale is a fine-grained sedimentary rock from which oil is extracted
Diabase is a fine-grained igneous rock which is composed mostly of pyroxene and feldspar
Discoverer
Unknown
Christian Leopold von Buch
Etymology
From Old English scealu in its base sense of thing that divides or separate
From Greek di + base
Class
Sedimentary Rocks
Igneous Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Soft Rock
Durable Rock, Hard Rock
Group
Not Applicable
Volcanic
Other Categories
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Splintery
Aphanitic, Granular
Color
Black, Brown, Buff, Green, Grey, Red, Yellow
Dark Grey to Black
Durability
Durable
Durable
Appearance
Muddy
Vesicular
Interior Uses
Not Yet Used
Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration, Kitchens
Exterior Uses
Not Yet Used
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Paving Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings
Other Architectural Uses
Not Yet Used
Curbing
Construction Industry
Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Serves as an Oil and Gas Reservoir rock
As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate
Medical Industry
Not Yet Used
Not Yet Used
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines
Commercial Uses
An Oil and Gas Reservoir
An Oil and Gas Reservoir, Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Laboratory bench tops, Jewelry, Sea Defence, Tombstones
Types
Carbonate-rich Shale, Siliceous Shale and Cannel Shale
Not Available
Features
Easily splits into thin plates, Generally rough to touch, Is one of the oldest rock, Very fine grained rock
Smooth to touch
Archaeological Significance
Monuments
Not Yet Used
Used
Famous Monuments
Not Applicable
Stonehenge in English county of Wiltshire
Sculpture
Not Yet Used
Used
Famous Sculptures
Not Applicable
Data Not Available
Pictographs
Not Used
Not Used
Petroglyphs
Not Used
Not Used
Figurines
Not Yet Used
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.
Diabase forms when molten igneous rock is squeezed up into a vertical crack in other rocks, the crack is usually forced apart and the molten rock cools in the space to form a tabular igneous intrusion cutting across the surrounding rocks and is known as a dike.
Mineral Content
Albite, Biotite, Calcite, Chert, Chlorite, Dolomite, Hematite, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Pyrite, Quartz, Silica, Sulfides
Augite, Chlorite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Pyrrhotite, Serpentine
Compound Content
Ca, Fe, Mg, Silicon Dioxide, Sodium
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Chromium(III) Oxide, Iron(III) Oxide, Potassium Oxide, MgO, Sodium Oxide, Silicon Dioxide, Sulfur Trioxide
Types of Metamorphism
Not Applicable
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering
Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion
Grain Size
Very fine-grained
Fine to Medium Grained
Fracture
Not Available
Conchoidal
Porosity
Highly Porous
Highly Porous
Luster
Dull
Not Available
Compressive Strength
Not Available
Cleavage
Slaty
Not Available
Specific Gravity
2.2-2.8
2.86-2.87
Transparency
Opaque
Opaque
Density
2.4-2.8 g/cm3
2.7-3.3 g/cm3
Specific Heat Capacity
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
India
Africa
Ethiopia, Kenya, Morocco, South Africa, Tanzania
South Africa, Tanzania
Europe
Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Romania, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland
Germany, Greece, Italy, Scotland, Turkey
Others
Greenland, Not Yet Found
Antarctica, Greenland
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
Canada, USA
Canada, USA
South America
Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela
Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland, Victoria, Western Australia
Central Australia, New Zealand, Queensland, Western Australia
Oil shale vs Diabase 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 Diabase characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Oil shale and Properties of Diabase. Learn more about Oil shale vs Diabase in the next section. The interior uses of Oil shale include Not yet used whereas the interior uses of Diabase include Countertops, Decorative aggregates, Homes, Interior decoration and Kitchens. Due to some exceptional properties of Oil shale and Diabase, 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 Diabase include As dimension stone, Building houses or walls, Cement manufacture, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate.
More about Oil shale and Diabase
Here you can know more about Oil shale and Diabase. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Oil shale and Diabase 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 Diabase includes Augite, Chlorite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Pyrrhotite, Serpentine. You can also check out the list of all Sedimentary Rocks. When we have to compare Oil shale vs Diabase, 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, Diabase is available in dark grey to black colors. Appearance of Oil shale is Muddy and that of Diabase is Vesicular. Properties of rock is another aspect for Oil shale vs Diabase. The hardness of Oil shale is 2-3 and that of Diabase is 7. The types of Oil shale are Carbonate-rich Shale, Siliceous Shale and Cannel Shale whereas types of Diabase are Not Available. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Oil shale is white while that of Diabase is black. The specific heat capacity of Oil shale is 0.39 kJ/Kg K and that of Diabase is Not Available. 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 Diabase is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant.