Definition
Oil Shale is a fine-grained sedimentary rock from which oil is extracted
Gossan is intensely oxidized, weathered or decomposed rock, usually the upper and exposed part of an ore deposit or mineral vein.
Discoverer
Unknown
Cornish Gossen
Etymology
From Old English scealu in its base sense of thing that divides or separate
From Cornish gossen from gos, blood from Old Cornish guit
Class
Sedimentary Rocks
Metamorphic Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Soft Rock
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Group
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Other Categories
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Splintery
Rough, Sandy
Color
Black, Brown, Buff, Green, Grey, Red, Yellow
Brown, Brown- Black, Gold, Green, Rust
Durability
Durable
Durable
Appearance
Muddy
Dull and Banded
Interior Uses
Not Yet Used
Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration
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, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate
Medical Industry
Not Yet Used
Not Yet Used
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts
Artifacts
Commercial Uses
An Oil and Gas Reservoir
Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Gemstone
Types
Carbonate-rich Shale, Siliceous Shale and Cannel Shale
Translocated gossan and Leakage gossan
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
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
Used
Petroglyphs
Not Used
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.
Earth movements can cause rocks to be either deeply buried or squeezed and hence the rocks are heated and put under great pressure.
Mineral Content
Albite, Biotite, Calcite, Chert, Chlorite, Dolomite, Hematite, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Pyrite, Quartz, Silica, Sulfides
Apatite, Augite, Biotite, Bronzite, Calcite, Chert, Epidote, Feldspar, Hornblende, Micas, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz, Sulfides, Zircon
Compound Content
Ca, Fe, Mg, Silicon Dioxide, Sodium
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Fe, FeO, Silicon Dioxide, Sulphur
Types of Metamorphism
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Not Applicable
Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Sea Erosion, Wind Erosion
Grain Size
Very fine-grained
Fine to Medium Grained
Fracture
Not Available
Conchoidal
Streak
White
White to Grey
Porosity
Highly Porous
Highly Porous
Cleavage
Slaty
Not Available
Toughness
2.6
Not Available
Specific Gravity
2.2-2.8
2.0
Transparency
Opaque
Opaque
Density
2.4-2.8 g/cm3
Not Available
Resistance
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
Bangladesh, China, India, Israel, Jordan, Russia, Syria, Thailand, Turkey
China, India, Indonesia, Russia, Singapore, South Korea
Africa
Ethiopia, Kenya, Morocco, South Africa, Tanzania
Cape Verde, Ethiopia, Ghana, South Africa, Western Africa
Europe
Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Romania, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland
Albania, France, Germany, Great Britain, United Kingdom
Others
Greenland, Not Yet Found
Not Yet Found
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
Canada, USA
Canada, USA
South America
Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela
Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland, Victoria, Western Australia
New South Wales, South Australia, Western Australia
Oil shale vs Gossan 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 Gossan characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Oil shale and Properties of Gossan. Learn more about Oil shale vs Gossan in the next section. The interior uses of Oil shale include Not yet used whereas the interior uses of Gossan include Countertops, Decorative aggregates and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Oil shale and Gossan, 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 Gossan include As dimension stone, Cement manufacture, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate.
More about Oil shale and Gossan
Here you can know more about Oil shale and Gossan. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Oil shale and Gossan 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 Gossan includes Apatite, Augite, Biotite, Bronzite, Calcite, Chert, Epidote, Feldspar, Hornblende, Micas, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz, Sulfides, Zircon. You can also check out the list of all Sedimentary Rocks. When we have to compare Oil shale vs Gossan, 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, Gossan is available in brown, brown- black, gold, green, rust colors. Appearance of Oil shale is Muddy and that of Gossan is Dull and Banded. Properties of rock is another aspect for Oil shale vs Gossan. The hardness of Oil shale is 2-3 and that of Gossan is 4-5. The types of Oil shale are Carbonate-rich Shale, Siliceous Shale and Cannel Shale whereas types of Gossan are Translocated gossan and Leakage gossan. 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 Gossan is white to grey. The specific heat capacity of Oil shale is 0.39 kJ/Kg K and that of Gossan is 0.24 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 Gossan is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant.