"The carbonaceous shales of the New Albany formation and its partial correlatives, the Chattanooga Antrim, and Woodford shales, have long been known to produce oil on thermal treatment. Comprehensive oil-yield data for representative samples (core samples) from Kentucky's black shale deposits, however, are extremely limited. Conant and Swanson (1961, p. 69) and Swanson (1960, p. 36) report oil yields from outcrop samples representing most of the formation. Other published data are difficult to evaluate because the surface samples may be weathered or not keyed to the formation, presenting an inaccurate picture. Three cores representing the entire New Albany Shale section in three Kentucky counties were furnished the Federal Bureau of Mines by the Kentucky Geological Survey. Oil yields determined on these representative sets of samples are presented to aid in evaluating this deposit."