Definition
Oil Shale is a fine-grained sedimentary rock from which oil is extracted
Obsidian is a naturally occurring volcanic glass formed as an extrusive igneous rock. It is produced when felsic lava extruded from a volcano cools rapidly with minimum crystal growth
Discoverer
Unknown
Obsius
Etymology
From Old English scealu in its base sense of thing that divides or separate
From Latin obsidianus, misprint of Obsianus (lapis) (stone) of Obsius
Class
Sedimentary Rocks
Igneous Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Soft Rock
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Group
Not Applicable
Volcanic
Other Categories
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Opaque Rock
Color
Black, Brown, Buff, Green, Grey, Red, Yellow
Black, Blue, Brown, Green, Orange, Red, Tan, Yellow
Durability
Durable
Durable
Interior Uses
Not Yet Used
Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration
Exterior Uses
Not Yet Used
Garden Decoration
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
Arrowheads, Cutting Tool, Knives, Scrapers, Spear Points
Medical Industry
Not Yet Used
Surgery
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts
Artifacts, Jewellery
Commercial Uses
An Oil and Gas Reservoir
Creating Artwork, Mirror, Used in aquariums
Types
Carbonate-rich Shale, Siliceous Shale and Cannel Shale
Fireworks Obsidian, Mahogany, Sheen Obsidian, Snowflake obsidian and Velvet Peacock Obsidian
Features
Easily splits into thin plates, Generally rough to touch, Is one of the oldest rock, Very fine grained rock
Blocks negativity, Helps to protect against depression
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.
When the lava is released from volcano, it undergoes a very rapid cooling which freezes the mechanisms of crystallization. The result is a volcanic glass with a uniform smooth texture.
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
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, Potassium Oxide, MgO, MnO, Sodium Oxide, Phosphorus Pentoxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide
Types of Metamorphism
Not Applicable
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism
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, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion
Grain Size
Very fine-grained
Not Applicable
Fracture
Not Available
Conchoidal
Porosity
Highly Porous
Very Less Porous
Compressive Strength
Not Available
Cleavage
Slaty
Non-Existent
Toughness
2.6
Not Available
Specific Gravity
2.2-2.8
2.6-2.7
Transparency
Opaque
Translucent
Density
2.4-2.8 g/cm3
2.6 g/cm3
Resistance
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
Bangladesh, China, India, Israel, Jordan, Russia, Syria, Thailand, Turkey
Afghanistan, Indonesia, Japan, Russia
Africa
Ethiopia, Kenya, Morocco, South Africa, Tanzania
Kenya
Europe
Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Romania, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland
Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Turkey
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
Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Peru
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland, Victoria, Western Australia
New Zealand
Oil shale vs Obsidian 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 Obsidian characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Oil shale and Properties of Obsidian. Learn more about Oil shale vs Obsidian in the next section. The interior uses of Oil shale include Not yet used whereas the interior uses of Obsidian include Decorative aggregates and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Oil shale and Obsidian, 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 Obsidian include Arrowheads, Cutting tool, Knives, Scrapers, Spear points.
More about Oil shale and Obsidian
Here you can know more about Oil shale and Obsidian. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Oil shale and Obsidian 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 Obsidian is not available. You can also check out the list of all Sedimentary Rocks. When we have to compare Oil shale vs Obsidian, 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, Obsidian is available in black, blue, brown, green, orange, red, tan, yellow colors. Appearance of Oil shale is Muddy and that of Obsidian is Shiny. Properties of rock is another aspect for Oil shale vs Obsidian. The hardness of Oil shale is 2-3 and that of Obsidian is 5-5.5. The types of Oil shale are Carbonate-rich Shale, Siliceous Shale and Cannel Shale whereas types of Obsidian are Fireworks Obsidian, Mahogany, Sheen Obsidian, Snowflake obsidian and Velvet Peacock Obsidian. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Oil shale and Obsidian is white. The specific heat capacity of Oil shale is 0.39 kJ/Kg K and that of Obsidian is 0.92 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 Obsidian is heat resistant, impact resistant.