Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Shale

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Engineering Geology

Part of the book series: Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series ((EESS))

  • 216 Accesses

Synonyms

Clayshale; Fissile mudrock; Fissile mudstone; Mudshale

Definition

Shale is a fine-grained, siliciclastic, laminated sedimentary rock composed mainly of indurated silt and clay size particles of clay minerals, fine-size quartz, and feldspars.

Characteristics

Shale is the most frequently encountered rock in engineering projects associated with sedimentary basins. Sedimentary basins, having low water energy, provide suitable conditions for deposition of fine-grained suspended particles to form shale. The presence of fissility, the ability of a rock to readily split into thin pieces with a maximum thickness of 10 mm, along the laminations (Czerewko and Cripps 2012) is the key indicator to distinguish shale from other mudrocks such as mudstone and claystone. The predominant grain size of shale is smaller than 0.063 mm. In addition to clay minerals, fine-size quartz and feldspars, carbonate minerals (calcite, dolomite), pyrite, heavy minerals, and...

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Czerewko MA, Cripps JC (2012) Mudrocks, clays and pyrite. In: ICE manual of geotechnical engineering, pp 481–516

    Google Scholar 

  • Dick JC, Shakoor A, Wells N (1994) A geological approach toward developing a mudrock-durability classification system. Can Geotech J 31:17–27

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fisher Q, Kets F, Crook A (2013) Self-sealing of faults and fractures in argillaceous formations: evidence from the petroleum industry. NAB 13-06

    Google Scholar 

  • Freeze RA, Cherry JS (1979) Groundwater. Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, 604 p.

    Google Scholar 

  • Steiger RP, Leung PK (1992) Quantitative determination of the mechanical properties of shales. SPE Drill Eng 7(3): 181–185, Society of Petroleum Engineers

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geological Engineering, Dumlupinar University, 43100, Kütahya, Turkey

    Zeynal Abiddin Erguler

Authors
  1. Zeynal Abiddin Erguler
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Zeynal Abiddin Erguler .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Earth Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Kanata, Ontario, Canada

    Peter T. Bobrowsky

  2. London, United Kingdom

    Brian Marker

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2016 Springer International Publishing AG

About this entry

Cite this entry

Erguler, Z.A. (2016). Shale. In: Bobrowsky, P., Marker, B. (eds) Encyclopedia of Engineering Geology. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-12127-7_255-1

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-12127-7_255-1

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-12127-7

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Earth and Environm. ScienceReference Module Physical and Materials ScienceReference Module Earth and Environmental Sciences

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation