Definition
Oil Shale is a fine-grained sedimentary rock from which oil is extracted
Flint is a hard type of sedimentary rock that produces a small piece of burning material when hit by steel
Discoverer
Unknown
Unknown
Etymology
From Old English scealu in its base sense of thing that divides or separate
From Old English flint - a type of rock mainly known for high hardness and for giving off sparks when struck
Class
Sedimentary Rocks
Sedimentary Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Soft Rock
Durable Rock, Hard Rock
Other Categories
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Splintery
Banded, Rough
Color
Black, Brown, Buff, Green, Grey, Red, Yellow
Black, Brown, Green, Grey, Red, White
Durability
Durable
Durable
Appearance
Muddy
Glassy or Pearly
Interior Uses
-
Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration
Exterior Uses
-
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings, Paving Stone
Other Architectural Uses
-
Curbing
Construction Industry
Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Serves as an Oil and Gas Reservoir rock
Arrowheads, Cutting Tool, Spear Points
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts
Artifacts
Commercial Uses
An Oil and Gas Reservoir
Creating Artwork, Gemstone, In fire-starting tools, Manufacture of tools, Metallurgical Flux, Jewelry, To ignite fire, Used in flintlock firearms
Types
Carbonate-rich Shale, Siliceous Shale and Cannel Shale
Chert and Jasper
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
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.
Flint is formed by the decomposition and compaction of various organisms such as sponges and diatoms under the water.
Mineral Content
Albite, Biotite, Calcite, Chert, Chlorite, Dolomite, Hematite, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Pyrite, Quartz, Silica, Sulfides
Silicon
Compound Content
Ca, Fe, Mg, Silicon Dioxide, Sodium
Silicon Dioxide
Types of Metamorphism
-
-
Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
-
Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion
Grain Size
Very fine-grained
Very fine-grained
Porosity
Highly Porous
Highly Porous
Specific Gravity
2.2-2.8
2.5-2.8
Transparency
Opaque
Translucent to Opaque
Density
2.4-2.8 g/cm3
2.7-2.71 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
Azerbaijan, China, Russia
Africa
Ethiopia, Kenya, Morocco, South Africa, Tanzania
-
Europe
Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Romania, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland
Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
Canada, USA
USA
South America
Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela
Bolivia
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland, Victoria, Western Australia
New Zealand, South Australia
Oil shale vs Flint 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 Flint characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Oil shale and Properties of Flint. Learn more about Oil shale vs Flint in the next section. The interior uses of Oil shale include whereas the interior uses of Flint include Decorative aggregates, Homes and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Oil shale and Flint, 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 Flint include Arrowheads, Cutting tool, Spear points.
More about Oil shale and Flint
Here you can know more about Oil shale and Flint. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Oil shale and Flint 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 Flint includes Silicon. You can also check out the list of all Sedimentary Rocks. When we have to compare Oil shale vs Flint, 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, Flint is available in black, brown, green, grey, red, white colors. Appearance of Oil shale is Muddy and that of Flint is Glassy or Pearly. Properties of rock is another aspect for Oil shale vs Flint. The hardness of Oil shale is 2-3 and that of Flint is 7. The types of Oil shale are Carbonate-rich Shale, Siliceous Shale and Cannel Shale whereas types of Flint are Chert and Jasper. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Oil shale and Flint is white. The specific heat capacity of Oil shale is 0.39 kJ/Kg K and that of Flint 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 Flint is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant.