Which minerals are commonly found in oil shale?

Oil shale is a fine-grained sedimentary rock composed of organic matter, primarily kerogen, embedded within an inorganic mineral matrix. The specific mineral composition varies depending on the sediment type and the environment in which the deposit formed.1234

Commonly found minerals include:

• Silicate minerals: These include clay minerals, quartz, and feldspar.4
• Carbonate minerals: Calcite and dolomite are frequently present, particularly in marlstones.4
• Saline minerals: Deposits formed in highly saline, stratified lake environments—such as the Green River Formation—often contain nahcolite, trona, and dawsonite.4

Chemically, the inorganic matrix is characterized by the presence of silicon, calcium, aluminum, magnesium, iron, sodium, and potassium, which occur within silicate, carbonate, oxide, and sulfide mineral structures.2