Definition
Oil Shale is a fine-grained sedimentary rock from which oil is extracted
A hydration and metamorphic transformation of ultramafic rock from the Earth's mantle is called as serpentinization, a group of minerals is formed by serpentinization compose rock 'serpentinite'.
Discoverer
Unknown
Unknown
Etymology
From Old English scealu in its base sense of thing that divides or separate
From English word serpentinization.
Class
Sedimentary Rocks
Metamorphic Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Soft Rock
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Other Categories
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Color
Black, Brown, Buff, Green, Grey, Red, Yellow
Black, Brown, Green, Grey, White
Durability
Durable
Durable
Appearance
Muddy
Rough and Dull
Interior Uses
-
Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration
Exterior Uses
-
As Building Stone, Paving Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings
Other Architectural Uses
-
Curbing
Construction Industry
Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Serves as an Oil and Gas Reservoir rock
As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts
Artifacts, Jewellery, Monuments, Sculpture
Commercial Uses
An Oil and Gas Reservoir
Commemorative Tablets, Creating Artwork
Types
Carbonate-rich Shale, Siliceous Shale and Cannel Shale
Jadeitite
Features
Easily splits into thin plates, Generally rough to touch, Is one of the oldest rock, Very fine grained rock
Host Rock for Lead
Archaeological Significance
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.
Due to change in environmental conditions, rocks are heated and pressurized deep inside the Earth's surface. Serpentinite is formed from the extreme heat caused by magma or by the intense collisions and friction of tectonic plates.
Mineral Content
Albite, Biotite, Calcite, Chert, Chlorite, Dolomite, Hematite, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Pyrite, Quartz, Silica, Sulfides
Carbonate, Magnetite, Pyrrhotite, Serpentine, Sulfides
Compound Content
Ca, Fe, Mg, Silicon Dioxide, Sodium
Ca, CaO, Carbon Dioxide, KCl, MgO, Sulfur Dioxide, Sulphur
Types of Metamorphism
-
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Hydrothermal Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism
Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
-
Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Sea Erosion, Wind Erosion
Grain Size
Very fine-grained
Very fine-grained
Streak
White
White, Greenish White or Grey
Porosity
Highly Porous
Less Porous
Luster
Dull
Waxy and Dull
Specific Gravity
2.2-2.8
2.79-3
Transparency
Opaque
Opaque
Density
2.4-2.8 g/cm3
2.5-3 g/cm3
Resistance
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant
Heat Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
Bangladesh, China, India, Israel, Jordan, Russia, Syria, Thailand, Turkey
India, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea
Africa
Ethiopia, Kenya, Morocco, South Africa, Tanzania
Ethiopia, Western Africa
Europe
Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Romania, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland
England, Georgia, Switzerland, United Kingdom
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
Canada, USA
Canada
South America
Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela
Colombia
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland, Victoria, Western Australia
Central Australia, New South Wales, New Zealand, Western Australia
Oil shale vs Serpentinite 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 Serpentinite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Oil shale and Properties of Serpentinite. Learn more about Oil shale vs Serpentinite in the next section. The interior uses of Oil shale include whereas the interior uses of Serpentinite include Decorative aggregates and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Oil shale and Serpentinite, 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 Serpentinite include As dimension stone, Cement manufacture, For road aggregate, Making natural cement.
More about Oil shale and Serpentinite
Here you can know more about Oil shale and Serpentinite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Oil shale and Serpentinite 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 Serpentinite includes Carbonate, Magnetite, Pyrrhotite, Serpentine, Sulfides. You can also check out the list of all Sedimentary Rocks. When we have to compare Oil shale vs Serpentinite, 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, Serpentinite is available in black, brown, green, grey, white colors. Appearance of Oil shale is Muddy and that of Serpentinite is Rough and Dull. Properties of rock is another aspect for Oil shale vs Serpentinite. The hardness of Oil shale is 2-3 and that of Serpentinite is 3-5. The types of Oil shale are Carbonate-rich Shale, Siliceous Shale and Cannel Shale whereas types of Serpentinite are Jadeitite. 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 Serpentinite is white, greenish white or grey. The specific heat capacity of Oil shale is 0.39 kJ/Kg K and that of Serpentinite is 0.95 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 Serpentinite is heat resistant.