Definition
Oil Shale is a fine-grained sedimentary rock from which oil is extracted
Litchfieldite is a rare igneous rock which is coarse-grained, foliated and a variety of nepheline syenite, sometimes also called as nepheline syenite gneiss or gneissic nepeheline syenite
History
Origin
-
USA
Discoverer
Unknown
Bayley
Etymology
From Old English scealu in its base sense of thing that divides or separate
From its occurrence at Litchfield, Maine, USA
Class
Sedimentary Rocks
Igneous Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Soft Rock
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Family
Group
-
Plutonic
Other Categories
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Splintery
Granular
Color
Black, Brown, Buff, Green, Grey, Red, Yellow
Brown, Buff, Cream, Green, Grey, Pink, White
Maintenance
Less
Less
Durability
Durable
Durable
Water Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Scratch Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Stain Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Wind Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Acid Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Appearance
Muddy
Banded and Foilated
Architecture
Interior Uses
-
Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Flooring, Interior Decoration
Exterior Uses
-
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration
Other Architectural Uses
-
Curbing
Industry
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, Landscaping, Making natural cement, Manufacture of Magnesium and Dolomite Refractories, Production of Glass and Ceramics
Medical Industry
-
-
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture
Other Uses
Commercial Uses
An Oil and Gas Reservoir
Creating Artwork
Types
Carbonate-rich Shale, Siliceous Shale and Cannel Shale
Borolanite and Litchfieldite
Features
Easily splits into thin plates, Generally rough to touch, Is one of the oldest rock, Very fine grained rock
Application of acids on the surface causes cloudy frosting, Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Dissolves in hydrochloric acid, Is one of the oldest rock
Archaeological Significance
Monuments
-
-
Famous Monuments
-
-
Sculpture
-
-
Famous Sculptures
-
-
Pictographs
-
-
Petroglyphs
-
-
Figurines
-
-
Fossils
Present
Absent
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.
Litchfieldite is a fine-grained, hard rock which is a type of metasomatite, essentially altered basalt. It forms with or without crystallization, either below the surface as intrusive rocks or on the surface as extrusive rocks.
Composition
Mineral Content
Albite, Biotite, Calcite, Chert, Chlorite, Dolomite, Hematite, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Pyrite, Quartz, Silica, Sulfides
Albite, Amphibole, Biotite, Cancrinite, Feldspar, Hornblende, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Sodalite
Compound Content
Ca, Fe, Mg, Silicon Dioxide, Sodium
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, Potassium Oxide, MgO, MnO, Sodium Oxide, Phosphorus Pentoxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide
Transformation
Metamorphism
✔
✘
✔
✘
Types of Metamorphism
-
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism
Weathering
✔
✘
✔
✘
Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Biological Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Erosion
✔
✘
✔
✘
Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion
Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
Physical Properties
Hardness
2-35.5-6
1
7
👆🏻
Grain Size
Very fine-grained
Coarse Grained
Fracture
-
Conchoidal to Uneven
Streak
White
White
Porosity
Highly Porous
Less Porous
Luster
Dull
Greasy to Dull
Compressive Strength
-150.00 N/mm2
0.15
450
👆🏻
Cleavage
Slaty
-
Toughness
2.6
-
Specific Gravity
2.2-2.82.6
0
8.4
👆🏻
Transparency
Opaque
Translucent to Opaque
Density
2.4-2.8 g/cm32.6 g/cm3
0
1400
👆🏻
Thermal Properties
Specific Heat Capacity
0.39 kJ/Kg K0.79 kJ/Kg K
0.14
3.2
👆🏻
Resistance
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Wear Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
Bangladesh, China, India, Israel, Jordan, Russia, Syria, Thailand, Turkey
-
Africa
Ethiopia, Kenya, Morocco, South Africa, Tanzania
South Africa
Europe
Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Romania, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland
Finland, Norway, Portugal
Others
Greenland
-
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
Canada, USA
Canada
South America
Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela
Brazil
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland, Victoria, Western Australia
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