Oil shale

Oil shale is a fine-grained sedimentary rock containing kerogen, solid organic matter that can be converted into liquid hydrocarbons by heating.

Kerogen: A solid, insoluble organic material in sedimentary rocks that can generate hydrocarbons when heated. It is the organic material in oil shale that yields hydrocarbons during heating.
Shale oil: A liquid hydrocarbon product made by heating kerogen-rich rock. It is the principal fuel product sought from oil shale processing.
Life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions: Greenhouse gas emissions measured across the full production and use of a product or fuel. Oil shale’s mining and heating can raise emissions beyond those of conventional petroleum.
Sedimentary rock: Rock formed from accumulated mineral or organic particles, or from material precipitated from water. Oil shale is a fine-grained sedimentary rock formed from deposited material.
Tight oil: Liquid petroleum produced from low-permeability rock, commonly using horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing. Tight oil is already liquid in the rock; oil shale’s kerogen must first be heated.
Pyrolysis: The chemical decomposition of material by heat in the absence of oxygen. Heating oil shale without oxygen breaks kerogen into liquid and gaseous products.
Green River Formation: A geological formation in the western United States containing extensive oil shale deposits. Its large deposits have made it a focal point for proposed commercial development.
Water footprint: The total freshwater used directly and indirectly to produce a good or service. Processing oil shale can require substantial water, especially in arid deposits.
Organic-rich sediment: Sediment containing substantial preserved organic matter from once-living organisms. Oil shale begins as organic-rich sediment that is buried and transformed over geological time.
Bituminous shale: A shale rich in bitumen, a heavy petroleum mixture that can be extracted with solvents or heat. Bituminous shale contains bitumen rather than primarily solid kerogen.

Linked from 6 pages