When was oil shale first used?
The modern shale industry began in the 19th century. This industry used industrial processes to heat shale in order to extract oil.
What is oil shale in western Colorado?
Colorado has the world’s largest resources of oil shale, by far. Oil shale is actually the rock marlstone which contains kerogen, a precursor to oil. The kerogen must be heated to more than 750 degrees to convert it into oil because it was never buried deeply enough for nature to convert the kerogen to oil.
How was oil shale formed?
Oil shale was formed from sediments laid down in ancient lakes, seas, and small terrestrial water bodies such as bogs and lagoons. Oil shales deposited in large lake basins, particularly those of tectonic origin, are commonly of considerable thickness in parts.
Who discovered oil shale?
In the 10th century, the Arabian physician Masawaih al-Mardini (Mesue the Younger) described a method of extraction of oil from “some kind of bituminous shale”. In the early 14th century, the first use of shale oil was recorded in Switzerland and Austria.
What percentage of US oil is shale?
This was equal to about 65% of total U.S. crude oil production in 2020. Tight oil is oil embedded in low-permeable shale, sandstone, and carbonate rock formations.
How much oil shale is left?
A 2016 conservative estimate by the World Energy Council set the total world resources of oil shale equivalent to yield of 6.05 trillion barrels (962 billion cubic metres). For comparison, at the same time the world’s proven oil reserves are estimated to be 1.6976 trillion barrels (269.90 billion cubic metres).
How common is oil shale?
Deposits of oil shale occur around the world, including major deposits in the United States. A 2016 estimate of global deposits set the total world resources of oil shale equivalent of 6.05 trillion barrels (962 billion cubic metres) of oil in place.
How bad is shale oil for the environment?
Surface mining of oil shale deposits causes the usual environmental impacts of open-pit mining. In addition, the combustion and thermal processing generate waste material, which must be disposed of, and harmful atmospheric emissions, including carbon dioxide, a major greenhouse gas.
What was shale mined?
Oil shale has been used for industrial purposes since the early 17th century, when it was mined for its minerals. Since the late 19th century, shale oil has also been used for its oil content and as a low grade fuel for power generation.
Why Is shale a poor reservoir rock?
Shale is a fine grained sedimentary rock composed of mud that may include clay minerals and organic material called kerogen. Unfortunately, due to the small size of these pores, the permeability of shale is about 9 orders of magnitude less than that of a conventional sandstone reservoir.
Where are oil shale resources found in Colorado?
An in-place assessment of the oil shale and nahcolite resources of the Green River Formation in the Piceance Basin of western Colorado was competed in 2010. The Piceance Basin is one of three large structural and sedimentary basins that contain vast amounts of oil shale resources in the Green River Formation of Eocene age.
Which is the largest oil shale formation in the world?
This website contains assessments and geologic reports, as well as spatial and tabular datasets, fischer assays and well logs from USGS oil shale research studies. The Eocene Green River Formation of Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming contains the largest oil shale deposits in the world.
What is the depositional history of oil shale?
The depositional history of an oil shale includes the organisms and sediments that were deposited, as well as how those deposits interacted with pressure and heat. The van Krevelen Diagram is a method of classifying oil shales based on their depositional history.
Is there such a thing as oil shale?
Oil shale, despite the name, does not actually contain oil, but is a precursor of oil that is converted to crude oil when heated. This website contains assessments and geologic reports, as well as spatial and tabular datasets, fischer assays and well logs from USGS oil shale research studies.