Which deposits are highly saturated with kerogen and can yield oil with processing?

• A. Tar Sands
• B. Shale Gas
• C. Oil Shales
• D. Bituminous Rock

Answer: (C)

The key idea is a rock that is loaded with kerogen, an organic material that can be turned into liquid hydrocarbons with heat. In oil shales, kerogen saturates the rock, so it isn’t oil yet because it hasn’t matured. To get oil, the kerogen must be processed—typically by heating in a retort or similar method—to crack it into shale oil. This is what makes oil shales capable of yielding oil through processing.

Tar sands contain bitumen, which needs extraction and upgrading to become usable crude, but it isn’t kerogen-rich in the way oil shale is. Shale gas is natural gas trapped in shale, not oil. Bituminous rock is a broader term that can refer to rocks with bitumen rather than kerogen, so it isn’t the best fit for kerogen-driven oil production.

So, deposits that are highly saturated with kerogen and can yield oil with processing are oil shales.