Rocksday

Oil Shale

Fine-grained rock rich in kerogen, an organic material that yields oil when heated.

Oil Shale specimen
Photo: Mike Davis, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

How to identify oil shale

  • Brown to black, fine layers.
  • Light for a rock.
  • Burns or smells of oil when heated.

Often confused with

Where it's found

  • Green River Formation, Colorado–Utah–Wyoming
  • Estonia
  • Fushun, China

Uses

Fuel and oil production.

Rock tumbling

Not suitable for tumbling.

Did you know?

Estonia has generated much of its electricity by burning oil shale.

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