Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A fossilized material in shale and other sedimentary rock that yields oil upon heating.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun any organic matter present in a sedimentary rock that is insoluble in organic solvents; the precursor of oil and natural gas

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Greek kēros, wax + –gen.]

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Examples

  • Oil shale is a type of rock that has a petroleum precursor called kerogen trapped inside of it.

    J. Thomas Andrews: Oil Shale to the Rescue? 2008

  • Oil shale is a precursor of oils, a rock that contains enough organic material – called kerogen – to yield oil and gas when it is cooked.

    Current Oil Prices and Alternative Fuel Research Not an Indication of World Oil Reserves 2007

  • The hydrocarbons locked up in shale rocks in Colorado, Wyoming and Utah, known as kerogen, was again touted as the answer to America's energy problem.

    The Full Feed from HuffingtonPost.com Bill Eikenberry 2011

  • Oil shale is sedimentary rock that contains solid bituminous materials -- called kerogen -- that are released as petroleum-like liquids when the rock is heated.

    Local News RSS from The Detroit News 2010

  • Geologists estimate, and re-estimate, the Earth's carbon reservoir at more than 75 million billion metric tons, mostly buried in limestone, dolomite, ossified gunk called kerogen, coal, oil, and natural gas.

    Grist - the Latest from Grist 2009

  • Traditionally, the shale has been surface mined like coal and heated until an oil-like substance called kerogen turns to liquid and oozes out.

    Technology Review RSS Feeds 2009

  • Traditionally, the shale has been surface mined like coal and heated until an oil-like substance called kerogen turns to liquid and oozes out.

    Technology Review RSS Feeds 2009

  • Traditionally, the shale has been surface mined like coal and heated until an oil-like substance called kerogen turns to liquid and oozes out.

    Technology Review RSS Feeds 2009

  • This is a sedimentary rock that contains a solid compound called kerogen, which can be refined into a synthetic crude oil.

    feminist blogs echidne 2008

  • When the oil shale gets to a suitable temperature, the hydrocarbon material - called kerogen - becomes a vapor.

    Glenwood Springs Post Independent - Top Stories 2008

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