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
Discoverer
Unknown
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
Sedimentary Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Soft Rock
Durable Rock, Soft Rock
Group
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
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
Durability
Durable
Durable
Appearance
Muddy
Veined or Pebbled
Interior Uses
Not Yet Used
Not Yet Used
Exterior Uses
Not Yet Used
Not Yet Used
Other Architectural Uses
Not Yet Used
Not Yet Used
Construction Industry
Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Serves as an Oil and Gas Reservoir rock
for Road Aggregate, Steel Production
Medical Industry
Not Yet Used
Not Yet Used
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts
Not Yet Used
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
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.
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.
Mineral Content
Albite, Biotite, Calcite, Chert, Chlorite, Dolomite, Hematite, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Pyrite, Quartz, Silica, Sulfides
Not Available
Compound Content
Ca, Fe, Mg, Silicon Dioxide, Sodium
Carbon, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Sulphur
Types of Metamorphism
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
Grain Size
Very fine-grained
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained
Fracture
Not Available
Conchoidal
Porosity
Highly Porous
Highly Porous
Luster
Dull
Dull to Vitreous to Submetallic
Cleavage
Slaty
Non-Existent
Toughness
2.6
Not Available
Specific Gravity
2.2-2.8
1.1-1.4
Transparency
Opaque
Opaque
Density
2.4-2.8 g/cm3
800-801 g/cm3
Resistance
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant
Heat Resistant
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, Not Yet Found
Not Yet Found
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 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 Not yet used whereas the interior uses of Lignite include Not yet used. 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 is not available. 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.