Oil shale

Variolite

Oil shale vs Variolite

Oil shale

Variolite

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Definition

Oil Shale is a fine-grained sedimentary rock from which oil is extracted

Variolites are a group of dark green basic igneous rocks which exhibit pale colored spots, or spherules, especially on weathered surfaces, that give them a pockmarked appearance

History

Origin

France

Discoverer

Unknown

Etymology

From Old English scealu in its base sense of thing that divides or separate

From Latin varius, speckled, variegated

Class

Sedimentary Rocks

Igneous Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Soft Rock

Durable Rock, Hard Rock

Family

Group

Volcanic

Other Categories

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Opaque Rock

Texture

Splintery

Glassy, Massive, Porphyritic, Scoriaceous, Vesicular

Color

Black, Brown, Buff, Green, Grey, Red, Yellow

Black, Brown, Light to Dark Grey

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Muddy

Dull and Soft

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Floor Tiles, Flooring, Homes, Hotels, Kitchens

Exterior Uses

Garden Decoration, Office Buildings

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, Cobblestones, Rail Track Ballast, Roadstone

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

Metamorphic rock

Features

Easily splits into thin plates, Generally rough to touch, Is one of the oldest rock, Very fine grained rock

Has High structural resistance against erosion and climate, Very fine grained 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.

Variolites are a group of dark green basic igneous rocks that exhibit pale colored spots on weathered surfaces that give them a pockmarked appearance.

Composition

Mineral Content

Albite, Biotite, Calcite, Chert, Chlorite, Dolomite, Hematite, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Pyrite, Quartz, Silica, Sulfides

Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene

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, Hydrothermal Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism

Weathering

✔ ✘

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Erosion

✔ ✘

Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

2-36

1 7

👆🏻

Grain Size

Very fine-grained

Fracture

Conchoidal

Streak

White

White to Grey

Porosity

Highly Porous

Less Porous

Luster

Dull

Compressive Strength

-37.50 N/mm²

0.15 450

👆🏻

Cleavage

Slaty

Toughness

2.6

2.3

Specific Gravity

2.2-2.82.8-3

0 8.4

👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque

Density

2.4-2.8 g/cm³2.9-3.1 g/cm³

0 1400

👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.39 kJ/Kg K0.84 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant

Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

Bangladesh, China, India, Israel, Jordan, Russia, Syria, Thailand, Turkey

India, Russia

Africa

Ethiopia, Kenya, Morocco, South Africa, Tanzania

South Africa

Europe

Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Romania, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland

Iceland

Others

Greenland

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada, USA

South America

Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela

Brazil

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland, Victoria, Western Australia

Oil shale vs Variolite Information

Earth’s outer layer is covered by rocks and these rocks have different physical and chemical properties. As two rocks are not same, it’s fun to compare them. You can also know more about Oil shale and Variolite Reserves. Oil Shale is a fine-grained sedimentary rock from which oil is extracted. Variolites are a group of dark green basic igneous rocks which exhibit pale colored spots, or spherules, especially on weathered surfaces, that give them a pockmarked appearance. These rocks are composed of many distinct minerals. The process of formation of rocks is different for various rocks. Rocks are quarried from many years for various purposes. You can check out Oil shale vs Variolite information and Oil shale vs Variolite characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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Oil shale vs Variolite 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 Variolite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Oil shale and Properties of Variolite. Learn more about Oil shale vs Variolite in the next section. The interior uses of Oil shale include whereas the interior uses of Variolite include Floor tiles, Flooring, Homes, Hotels and Kitchens. Due to some exceptional properties of Oil shale and Variolite, 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 Variolite include As dimension stone, Cobblestones, Rail track ballast, Roadstone.

More about Oil shale and Variolite

Here you can know more about Oil shale and Variolite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Oil shale and Variolite 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 Variolite includes Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene. You can also check out the list of all Sedimentary Rocks. When we have to compare Oil shale vs Variolite, 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, Variolite is available in black, brown, light to dark grey colors. Appearance of Oil shale is Muddy and that of Variolite is Dull and Soft. Properties of rock is another aspect for Oil shale vs Variolite. The hardness of Oil shale is 2-3 and that of Variolite is 6. The types of Oil shale are Carbonate-rich Shale, Siliceous Shale and Cannel Shale whereas types of Variolite are Metamorphic rock. 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 Variolite is white to grey. The specific heat capacity of Oil shale is 0.39 kJ/Kg K and that of Variolite is 0.84 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 Variolite is heat resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant.