oil shale

American  

noun

Geology.

1. a black or dark-brown shale or siltstone rich in bitumens, from which shale oil is obtained by destructive distillation.

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oil shale British  

noun

1. a fine-grained shale containing oil, which can be extracted by heating

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oil shale Scientific  

1. A fine-grained black or dark brown shale containing hydrocarbons in the form of kerogen. When heated, oil shale yields petroleum or natural gas.

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Etymology

Origin of oil shale

First recorded in 1870–75

Example Sentences

When it was built, oil shale was put into the ground.

From BBC • Feb. 12, 2026

Producers also argue it will eventually allow them to develop oil shale and tar sands oil that are currently too costly to pursue.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 10, 2023

"If it's closed down, people will go away," she added, as a chemical odour from a nearby oil shale processing plant hung in the air.

From Reuters • Mar. 2, 2023

Roughly three-quarters of Estonia’s energy supply comes from domestically produced oil shale, giving it more independence but putting it behind on climate goals.

From New York Times • Aug. 12, 2022

The Corporation is designed to spur the development of commercial technologies for production of synthetic fuels, such as liquid and gaseous fuels from coal and the production of oil from oil shale.

From State of the Union Address by Carter, Jimmy