"A review of the literature and data available on the deformational properties of oil shale shows that a surprisingly small quantity of useful information exists. The data which is available is restricted almost entirely to compressive loading and specific rock samples. There is at present no solid basis for understanding the explosive fracturing and fragmentation of oil shale nor for extrapolating that data which is available to the varieties of rock type and loading conditions of practical interest. A strong need exists for a quantitative description of oil shale failure and deformation which can be correlated with measurable lithologic variations in the rock and which can be applied to large strain failure under a variety of loading conditions. The success realized by micromechanical approaches to rock deformation in recent years indicates that a comparable approach could be viable for oil shale. Once the applicability of a micromechanical approach is demonstrated for both tensile and compressive failure of raw oil shale, additional research efforts should be initiated to develop large strain constitutive equations as needed for numerical modeling, to study the effects of thermal degradation upon mechanical properties and to develop logging tools capable of resolving the controlling lithographic features. Only if such a fundamental and integrated approach is taken can the understanding of oil shale mechanical properties be developed to the degree necessary to properly support the many and varied efforts at oil shale production."