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

See Examples For:

oil shale

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

Kallas' government has pledged to move away from producing any electricity from oil shale by 2035, turning to wind and solar power for energy instead.

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

As long as there are sufficient supplies of oil concentrated by nature to be drawn upon, it is unlikely that oil shale will furnish any considerable percentage of the world's oil requirements.

From The Economic Aspect of Geology by Leith, C. K. (Charles Kenneth)