shale oil

shale oil (countable and uncountable, plural shale oils)

1. A synthetic crude oil obtained by the pyrolysis, hydrogenation, or thermal dissolution of oil shale.
   • 1981 November 6, Robert D. Hershey Jr, “Shale Oil Is Coming Of Age”, in The New York Times‎, →ISSN:

     Up in the mountains along both sides of Parachute Creek the Exxon Corporation and other companies have begun to pour billions of dollars into two huge projects to turn the nation's immense reserves of oil shale into shale oil.

2. A crude oil obtained from low permeability petroleum-bearing formations (shales).

   Synonym: tight oil

• shale gas

• shale oil on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

• oil shale