Albertite

Albertite

Albertite is a type of asphalt found in Albert County, New Brunswick. It is a type of solid hydrocarbon.

It is a deep black and lustrous variety, and is less soluble in turpentine than the usual type of asphalt. It was from Albertite that kerosene was first refined. It was first truly studied by New Brunswick geologist Abraham Gesner, who had heard stories of rocks that burned in the area.

Formation

Albertite is formed from oil shale which has become remobilised into liquid asphalt. The process of formation is as follows;
* Production of crude oil (petroleum) from source rocks (in the case of Albert Mines, oil shale)
* Petroleum becomes trapped in an anticlinal culmination
* The petroleum gradually leaks out through the weakly permeable cap rock, the lighter oils are released most easily, leaving the bituminous residues of tars, asphaltanes and so forth behind
* Eventually, the lighter hydrocarbons are totally removed, leaving the solid residue behind as albertite

Occurrence

Albertite is named after the Albert County Mines in New Brunswick, Canada, from whence it was first found. The occurrence at Albert Mines existed as a series of discordant veins which were hosted in the core of an anticlinal closure of a fold. It was initially mistaken for coal. The geologists of the 1800s were at a loss as to describe how this coal apparently came to lie discordant to the strata of the area, as they did not yet understand the nature of the oil shale source rock, nor the fact that the albertite was essentially solidified asphaltum.

Albertite and controversial theories

Albertite is often used to argue [http://www.borderlands.com/archives/arch/endfos.html the abiogenic origin of coal] because it was originally reported as a "liquid coal" and this is a basis for arguments under the current theories of the abiogenic origin of petroleum and coal. The work of various Russian scientists and Thomas Gold are based on this early misconception.

These arguments are based on an archaic interpretation by the geologists of the day, who described it as coal, and presupposed (correctly) that it had once been liquid, though wrongly as about it being a liquid form of coal. The abiogenic theorists particularly favor the sentence::"If this Albertite is to be called coal, then we must admit that coal is not continued to beds subordinate to the stratification, but occurs also in lodes, like metallic ores."

However, proper reading of the 1865 source states::"This coal must have been injected into the crevices in a pasty or fluid state, since all the little apertures streaming off from the main vault, and even large cavities of many cubic yards extent have been filled in with it. It appears to me that these veins are analogous to veins of Petroleum. The latter are often found to occupy anticlinal vaults. If we should conceive a Petroleum vein to solidify, the solid mass resulting would present all the phenomena of the Albert vein. And on the other hand, the study of the irregularities of the Albert vein, if it be like Petroleum, would elucidate the sinking of oil wells."

External links

* [http://www.saintjohn.nbcc.nb.ca/~Heritage/AlbertMines/Albertite.htm Albertite occurrences, Albert Mines]
* [http://www.gov.ns.ca/natr/meb/is/is11.htm Oil Shows of Nova Scotia, including Albertite leads]
* [http://www.tsop.org/refs/solhyd.htm Solid Hydrocarbon References]
* [http://www.mta.gov.tr/english/dergi/dergi_pdf/72/5.pdf Asphaltic substances in Turkey; their physical properties]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Albertite — Al bert*ite ([a^]l b[ e]rt*[imac]t), n. (Min.) A bituminous mineral resembling asphaltum, found in the county of Albert, New Brunswick. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • albertite — [al′bər tīt΄] n. 〚after Albert county, New Brunswick, where found〛 a shiny, brittle, usually black variety of asphalt that burns easily with a bright, smoky flame * * * …   Universalium

  • albertite — [al′bər tīt΄] n. [after Albert county, New Brunswick, where found] a shiny, brittle, usually black variety of asphalt that burns easily with a bright, smoky flame …   English World dictionary

  • albertite — al·bert·ite …   English syllables

  • albertite — ˈalbərd.ˌīt noun ( s) Usage: sometimes capitalized Etymology: Albert county, New Brunswick, Canada, its locality + English ite : a bituminous mineral resembling asphaltum (hardness 1 2, specific gravity 1.097) …   Useful english dictionary

  • Albert Mines, New Brunswick — Albert Mines is a community in the southeastern corner ( [http://maps.google.ca/maps?q=Albert+Mines,+NB,+Canada sa=X oi=map ct=title Map] ) of the Canadian province of New Brunswick. It is due south of the Village of Hillsborough and bordered by… …   Wikipedia

  • Kerosene — Kerosene, sometimes spelled kerosine in scientific and industrial usage, [Webster s New World College Dictionary, kerosene .] is a combustible hydrocarbon liquid. The name is derived from Greek keros (κηρός wax). The word Kerosene was registered… …   Wikipedia

  • Abraham Pineo Gesner — Infobox Scientist name = Abraham Pineo Gesner box width = 200px image width = 150px caption = Abraham Pineo Gesner birth date = May 2, 1797 birth place = Cornwallis Township, Nova Scotia, Canada death date = April 29, 1864 death place = Halifax,… …   Wikipedia

  • Petitcodiac River — Petitcodiac River …   Wikipedia

  • Abraham Gesner — Abraham Gesner. Abraham Pineo Gesner (2 mai 1797 à Cornwallis, en Nouvelle Écosse, Canada – 29 avril 1864 à Halifax, Nouvelle Écosse) est un médecin et un géologue qui devint le principal fondateur de l industrie pétrolière moderne …   Wikipédia en Français

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”