Definition
Oil Shale is a fine-grained sedimentary rock from which oil is extracted
Essexite which is also known as nepheline monzogabbro, is a dark gray or black holocrystalline plutonic Iigneous Rock
Discoverer
Unknown
Unknown
Etymology
From Old English scealu in its base sense of thing that divides or separate
From the locality in Essex County, Massachusetts,US
Class
Sedimentary Rocks
Igneous Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Soft Rock
Durable Rock, Hard Rock
Group
Not Applicable
Plutonic
Other Categories
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Splintery
Granular
Color
Black, Brown, Buff, Green, Grey, Red, Yellow
Dark Grey to Black
Durability
Durable
Durable
Interior Uses
Not Yet Used
Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration
Exterior Uses
Not Yet Used
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings, Paving Stone
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
Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, 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
Is one of the oldest rock, Smooth to touch
Archaeological Significance
Monuments
Not Yet Used
Used
Famous Monuments
Not Applicable
Data Not Available
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.
Essexite is a type of igneous rock, which is usually dark grey to black plutonic rock. For the formation of essexite, suitable magma with exact composition of K, Ba, Rb, Cs, Sr should be produced.
Mineral Content
Albite, Biotite, Calcite, Chert, Chlorite, Dolomite, Hematite, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Pyrite, Quartz, Silica, Sulfides
Augite, Feldspar, Hornblende, Nepheline, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene
Compound Content
Ca, Fe, Mg, Silicon Dioxide, Sodium
Aluminium Oxide, Ba, Ca, Cs, Potassium, Rb, Sodium, Sr
Types of Metamorphism
Not Applicable
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Hydrothermal Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism
Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering
Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion
Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Water Erosion
Grain Size
Very fine-grained
Fine Grained
Fracture
Not Available
Conchoidal
Porosity
Highly Porous
Highly Porous
Luster
Dull
Not Available
Cleavage
Slaty
Not Available
Specific Gravity
2.2-2.8
Not Available
Transparency
Opaque
Opaque
Density
2.4-2.8 g/cm3
Not Available
Specific Heat Capacity
Not Available
Resistance
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant
Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
Bangladesh, China, India, Israel, Jordan, Russia, Syria, Thailand, Turkey
India, Russia
Africa
Ethiopia, Kenya, Morocco, South Africa, Tanzania
South Africa
Europe
Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Romania, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland
Germany, Greece, Italy, Scotland, Turkey
Others
Greenland, Not Yet Found
Greenland
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
Canada, USA
Canada, USA
South America
Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela
Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland, Victoria, Western Australia
New Zealand, Queensland
Oil shale vs Essexite 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 Essexite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Oil shale and Properties of Essexite . Learn more about Oil shale vs Essexite in the next section. The interior uses of Oil shale include Not yet used whereas the interior uses of Essexite include Decorative aggregates, Homes and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Oil shale and Essexite , 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 Essexite include As dimension stone, Building houses or walls, Cement manufacture, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate.
More about Oil shale and Essexite
Here you can know more about Oil shale and Essexite . The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Oil shale and Essexite 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 Essexite includes Augite, Feldspar, Hornblende, Nepheline, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene. You can also check out the list of all Sedimentary Rocks. When we have to compare Oil shale vs Essexite , 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, Essexite is available in dark grey to black colors. Appearance of Oil shale is Muddy and that of Essexite is Banded. Properties of rock is another aspect for Oil shale vs Essexite . The hardness of Oil shale is 2-3 and that of Essexite is 7. The types of Oil shale are Carbonate-rich Shale, Siliceous Shale and Cannel Shale whereas types of Essexite 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 Essexite is black. The specific heat capacity of Oil shale is 0.39 kJ/Kg K and that of Essexite 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 Essexite is impact resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant.