oil shale
noun Geology.
a black or dark-brown shale or siltstone rich in bitumens, from which shale oil is obtained by destructive distillation.
Origin of oil shale
First recorded in 1870–75
Words nearby oil shale
oil patch,
oil rig,
oil rivers,
oil sand,
oil sands,
oil shale,
oil slick,
oil spill,
oil tanker,
oil varnish,
oil well
Example sentences from the Web for oil shale
Oil-shale is plentiful on the Congo River near Ponthierville and good indications of oil are recorded in other places.
An African Adventure |Isaac F. Marcosson
British Dictionary definitions for oil shale
oil shale
noun
a fine-grained shale containing oil, which can be extracted by heating
Scientific definitions for oil shale
oil shale
A fine-grained black or dark brown shale containing hydrocarbons in the form of kerogen. When heated, oil shale yields petroleum or natural gas.