Definition
Skarns are formed during regional or contact metamorphism and from a variety of metasomatic processes involving fluids of magmatic, metamorphic, and/or marine origin
Oil Shale is a fine-grained sedimentary rock from which oil is extracted
History
Origin
USA, Australia
-
Discoverer
Tornebohm
Unknown
Etymology
From an old Swedish mining term originally used to describe a type of silicate gangue or waste rock.
From Old English scealu in its base sense of thing that divides or separate
Class
Metamorphic Rocks
Sedimentary Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Hard Rock
Durable Rock, Soft Rock
Family
Group
-
-
Other Categories
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Earthy, Mud-rich, Rough
Splintery
Color
Black, Brown, Green, Grey, White
Black, Brown, Buff, Green, Grey, Red, Yellow
Maintenance
Less
Less
Durability
Durable
Durable
Water Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Scratch Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Stain Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Wind Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Acid Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Appearance
Dull
Muddy
Architecture
Interior Uses
Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Interior Decoration
-
Exterior Uses
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration, Paving Stone
-
Other Architectural Uses
Curbing
-
Industry
Construction Industry
As a Flux in the Production of Steel and Pig Iron, As a Sintering Agent in Steel Industry to process Iron Ore, As Dimension Stone, Gold and Silver production, Manufacture of Magnesium and Dolomite Refractories
Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Serves as an Oil and Gas Reservoir rock
Medical Industry
-
-
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture
Artifacts
Other Uses
Commercial Uses
Creating Artwork, Gemstone, Jewelry, Metallurgical Flux, Source of Magnesia (MgO)
An Oil and Gas Reservoir
Types
Endoskarns
Carbonate-rich Shale, Siliceous Shale and Cannel Shale
Features
Host Rock for Lead, Zinc and Copper Deposits
Easily splits into thin plates, Generally rough to touch, Is one of the oldest rock, Very fine grained rock
Archaeological Significance
Monuments
-
-
Famous Monuments
-
-
Sculpture
-
-
Famous Sculptures
-
-
Pictographs
-
-
Petroglyphs
-
-
Figurines
-
-
Fossils
Absent
Present
Formation
Due to change in environmental conditions, rocks are heated and pressurized deep inside the Earth's surface. Skarn is formed from the extreme heat caused by magma or by the intense collisions and friction of tectonic plates.
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.
Composition
Mineral Content
Calcite, Enstatite, Epidote, Garnet, Magnetite, Pyroxene, Titanite
Albite, Biotite, Calcite, Chert, Chlorite, Dolomite, Hematite, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Pyrite, Quartz, Silica, Sulfides
Compound Content
Au, CaO, Carbon Dioxide, Cu, Fe, MgO
Ca, Fe, Mg, Silicon Dioxide, Sodium
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
Physical Properties
Hardness
6.52-3
1
7
👆🏻
Grain Size
Fine Grained
Very fine-grained
Fracture
Irregular
-
Streak
Light to dark brown
White
Porosity
Less Porous
Highly Porous
Luster
Waxy and Dull
Dull
Compressive Strength
70.00 N/mm2-
0.15
450
👆🏻
Cleavage
Slaty
Slaty
Toughness
2.4
2.6
Specific Gravity
2.862.2-2.8
0
8.4
👆🏻
Transparency
Opaque
Opaque
Density
2.8-2.9 g/cm32.4-2.8 g/cm3
0
1400
👆🏻
Thermal Properties
Specific Heat Capacity
0.92 kJ/Kg K0.39 kJ/Kg K
0.14
3.2
👆🏻
Resistance
Heat Resistant
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
China, India, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Sri Lanka
Bangladesh, China, India, Israel, Jordan, Russia, Syria, Thailand, Turkey
Africa
South Africa, Western Africa
Ethiopia, Kenya, Morocco, South Africa, Tanzania
Europe
United Kingdom
Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Romania, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland
Others
-
Greenland
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
Canada
Canada, USA
South America
Brazil, Colombia, Paraguay
Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
Central Australia, Western Australia
New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland, Victoria, Western Australia