Oil shale

Lignite

Oil shale vs Lignite

Oil shale

Lignite

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Definition

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

Lignite is a soft brownish coal which shows traces of plants and is intermediate between bituminous coal and peat

History

Origin

France

Discoverer

Unknown

Etymology

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

From French, Latin lignum wood + -ite1

Class

Sedimentary Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Soft Rock

Family

Group

Other Categories

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Splintery

Amorphous, Glassy

Color

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

Black, Brown, Dark Brown, Grey, Light to Dark Grey

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Muddy

Veined or Pebbled

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Exterior Uses

Other Architectural Uses

Industry

Construction Industry

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

for Road Aggregate, Steel Production

Medical Industry

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

An Oil and Gas Reservoir

Electricity Generation

Types

Carbonate-rich Shale, Siliceous Shale and Cannel Shale

Xyloid Lignite or Fossil Wood and Compact Lignite or Perfect Lignite

Features

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

Generally rough to touch, Helps in production of Heat and Electricity, Used as fossil fuel

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.

Coal formation takes place due to accumulation of plant debris in a swamp environment. The Coal formation process continues, as peat turns into lignite brown or black coal at increasing heat and pressure.

Composition

Mineral Content

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

Compound Content

Ca, Fe, Mg, Silicon Dioxide, Sodium

Carbon, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Sulphur

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, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

2-31

1 7

👆🏻

Grain Size

Very fine-grained

Medium to Fine Coarse Grained

Fracture

Conchoidal

Streak

White

Black

Porosity

Highly Porous

Luster

Dull

Dull to Vitreous to Submetallic

Compressive Strength

0.15 450

👆🏻

Cleavage

Slaty

Toughness

2.6

Specific Gravity

2.2-2.81.1-1.4

0 8.4

👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque

Density

2.4-2.8 g/cm³800-801 g/cm³

0 1400

👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.39 kJ/Kg K1.26 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant

Heat Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

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

Bangladesh, Burma, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Pakistan, Turkey, Vietnam

Africa

Ethiopia, Kenya, Morocco, South Africa, Tanzania

Botswana, Kenya, Morocco, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania

Europe

Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Romania, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland

Belgium, Bulgaria, England, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Kosovo, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, The Czech Republic, Ukraine, United Kingdom

Others

Greenland

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada, USA

Canada, Mexico, USA

South America

Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela

Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Venezuela

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland, Victoria, Western Australia

New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria

Oil shale vs Lignite 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 Lignite Reserves. Oil Shale is a fine-grained sedimentary rock from which oil is extracted. Lignite is a soft brownish coal which shows traces of plants and is intermediate between bituminous coal and peat. 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 Lignite information and Oil shale vs Lignite characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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Oil shale vs Lignite 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 Lignite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Oil shale and Properties of Lignite. Learn more about Oil shale vs Lignite in the next section. The interior uses of Oil shale include whereas the interior uses of Lignite include . Due to some exceptional properties of Oil shale and Lignite, 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 Lignite include For road aggregate, Steel production.

More about Oil shale and Lignite

Here you can know more about Oil shale and Lignite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Oil shale and Lignite 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 Lignite includes . You can also check out the list of all Sedimentary Rocks. When we have to compare Oil shale vs Lignite, 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, Lignite is available in black, brown, dark brown, grey, light to dark grey colors. Appearance of Oil shale is Muddy and that of Lignite is Veined or Pebbled. Properties of rock is another aspect for Oil shale vs Lignite. The hardness of Oil shale is 2-3 and that of Lignite is 1. The types of Oil shale are Carbonate-rich Shale, Siliceous Shale and Cannel Shale whereas types of Lignite are Xyloid Lignite or Fossil Wood and Compact Lignite or Perfect Lignite. 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 Lignite is black. The specific heat capacity of Oil shale is 0.39 kJ/Kg K and that of Lignite is 1.26 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 Lignite is heat resistant.