oil shale

American

noun

Geology.

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

oil shale British

noun

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

oil shale Scientific

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

Etymology

Origin of oil shale

First recorded in 1870–75

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Experts eventually discovered an underground fire fuelled by oil shale which had been used in the building of a long-gone railway line 120 years ago.

From BBC

It is a former manufacturing state that has been transitioning to newer industries and businesses, but it has a large energy sector because of its abundant oil shale deposits.

From BBC

"The oil shales are running out of Tier 1 inventory," said Bryan Sheffield, founder of energy investors Formentera Partners and Scott Sheffield's son.

From Reuters

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

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

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023