Definition
Oil Shale is a fine-grained sedimentary rock from which oil is extracted
A sedimentary rock, deposit of a submarine turbidity currents and are composed of layered particles
History
Origin
-
European Foreland Basins
Discoverer
Unknown
Arnold H. Bouma
Etymology
From Old English scealu in its base sense of thing that divides or separate
From Medieval Latin turbiditas, from Latin turbidus (turbid). Turbidity current is from 1939
Class
Sedimentary Rocks
Sedimentary Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Soft Rock
Durable Rock, Soft Rock
Family
Group
-
-
Other Categories
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Splintery
Mud-rich, Sandy
Color
Black, Brown, Buff, Green, Grey, Red, Yellow
Black, Brown, Green, Grey, Pink
Maintenance
Less
Less
Durability
Durable
Durable
Water Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Scratch Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Stain Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Wind Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Acid Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Appearance
Muddy
Dull and Banded
Architecture
Interior Uses
-
Bathrooms, Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Flooring, Homes, Interior Decoration
Exterior Uses
-
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Paving 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, Making natural cement
Medical Industry
-
-
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture
Other Uses
Commercial Uses
An Oil and Gas Reservoir
Cemetery Markers, Creating Artwork
Types
Carbonate-rich Shale, Siliceous Shale and Cannel Shale
Sedimentary rock
Features
Easily splits into thin plates, Generally rough to touch, Is one of the oldest rock, Very fine grained rock
High silica content, Host Rock for Lead
Archaeological Significance
Monuments
-
-
Famous Monuments
-
-
Sculpture
-
-
Famous Sculptures
-
-
Pictographs
-
-
Petroglyphs
-
-
Figurines
-
-
Fossils
Present
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.
Turbidite is a type of sedimentary rock formed when a river carries or transports pieces of broken rock as it flows. These particles then settle down and are subjected to high temperature and pressures hence forming Turbidite.
Composition
Mineral Content
Albite, Biotite, Calcite, Chert, Chlorite, Dolomite, Hematite, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Pyrite, Quartz, Silica, Sulfides
Coesite, Quartz, Sand
Compound Content
Ca, Fe, Mg, Silicon Dioxide, Sodium
CaO, Carbon Dioxide, MgO
Transformation
Metamorphism
✔
✘
✔
✘
Types of Metamorphism
-
-
Weathering
✔
✘
✔
✘
Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Erosion
✔
✘
✔
✘
Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
Physical Properties
Hardness
2-33
1
7
👆🏻
Grain Size
Very fine-grained
Fine to Coarse Grained
Fracture
-
Splintery
Streak
White
White, Greenish White or Grey
Porosity
Highly Porous
Very Less Porous
Luster
Dull
Metallic
Compressive Strength
-200.00 N/mm2
0.15
450
👆🏻
Cleavage
Slaty
Disjunctive
Toughness
2.6
2.4
Specific Gravity
2.2-2.82.46-2.73
0
8.4
👆🏻
Transparency
Opaque
Opaque
Density
2.4-2.8 g/cm31.6-2.5 g/cm3
0
1400
👆🏻
Thermal Properties
Specific Heat Capacity
0.39 kJ/Kg K0.92 kJ/Kg K
0.14
3.2
👆🏻
Resistance
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant
Heat Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
Bangladesh, China, India, Israel, Jordan, Russia, Syria, Thailand, Turkey
-
Africa
Ethiopia, Kenya, Morocco, South Africa, Tanzania
Western Africa
Europe
Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Romania, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland
Austria, Belarus, Romania, Switzerland, United Kingdom
Others
Greenland
-
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
Canada, USA
Canada, USA
South America
Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela
Brazil, Colombia
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland, Victoria, Western Australia
New Zealand, Western Australia